Possessed
by Kichino Sarafu
Summary: GaaraXOC. Sequel to The Ninja Life of Kichino Sarafu. Misa, Name meaning beautiful sand, is your average girl. Not even a ninja. But when she comes close to dying from a strong thread of influenza, her body gains an unexpected visitor. She wakes up
1. Open Eyes

**A/N: **First Chapter of the sequel to _The Ninja Life of Kichino Sarafu_! The first story was already typed, but now I have to actually type it down, so it may take longer than the previous one. Enjoy! R&R, por favor!

**Chapter: Open Eyes**

The light was clear and cutting, as the darkness parted to reveal an adobe ceiling. My mind was still in a dreamy state and didn't like being pulled back to the real world. I sat up and felt the covers on my bed fall down.

"Misa, are you alright? How do you feel?"

The voice cut into my brain which finally surrendered to this world. I recognized the area. I was in my room. My mom, younger brother, and younger sister were looking at me. Dad wasn't here, so he must've had an urgent mission. Or didn't care. However, at the foot of my bed was a young boy, about my age, who I didn't recognize, but he stood with an air of authority about him. And on my lap was. . .

"EWWWWWW!!!" I screamed and flung my sheets up so the dead parrot flew off of me and landed with a light thud on the floor. "WHAT'S A DEAD BIRD DOING ON ME?!"

_That wasn't very nice you know. I don't appreciate you flinging my previous body around like that._

"What?! Who are you?! Where are you?" I looked around frantically. Everyone was looking at me like I was nuts, but I didn't recognize the voice, and it was feminine so it definitely didn't belong to the boy. Was it the bird possibly?!

_No, you imbecile. I'm inside your head. My name is Sarafu, by the way. I'll be taking residence inside your body for the time being until I can find my own._

"It's ok, Mrs. Kyatake," the boy said calmly, as he picked up the dead parrot. "She's not crazy. It's just the after-affects of the ceremony. Her soul is confused. I did pull it out of limbo, after all, it will take a while for her to recognize and remember."

_Nice one, Gaara. Don't want to freak the parentals out after all._

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama," my other bowed politely.

Kazekage?! This boy was the Kazekage?! I heard he was young, but wow!

"I think its best if we let her rest some more, and calm herself. She did almost die after all."

_Actually, you _did _die, but we pulled you back. And I was even so nice as to get rid of that virus for you. I saved your life, I think I deserve vacany in your body for a while._

"Wha-" I spoke, but the voice in my head stopped me. My parents looked at me curiously.

_No! When you're addressing me, speak in your mind, not with your mouth. If you talk out loud, people are gonna think you're a nut-job._

I swallowed, and tried to think the words in my head. 'I'm not a nut-job? I suddenly created a voice in my head'

"Now let's be off, then, Mrs. Kyatake," the Kazekage ordered my mother, opening the door for her. "I'll come back later to check up on her. And I'm sure you'd like an explanation as to my sudden appearance."

My mother nodded and my family followed out to see what the news was.

_No, you're not a nut-job. I'm a whole new person and I'm very real. As I said before, my name is Sarafu. Kichino Sarafu. I'm the Sorakage of Sora, the Sky village, which doesn't really exist anymore since Akatsuki destroyed it._

'Wait-huh? Sora? There is no Sora! Who's Akatsuki? What are you talking about?!'

The voice sighed. _This is going to take a lot of explaining._

She filled me in on her life's story. It was actually quite interesting. She had gone through so much in so little time. Her mother was dead, withered away in a half-dragon state, and her father was a raving lunatic by the name of Orochimaru. She _used to be_ the next carrier of the Moon Dragon. It left her body when Sora was destroyed, taking her body, so her soul wandered the planes. She had been a spy in Konoha for the Gokage, a prodigy who died at the age of ten. However, she had unintentionally gained many friends there, and her best friend betrayed her to Akatsuki. After that, she had to leave Konoha to run her village. On the way, she met Ryu, a boy who had fallen madly in love with her, but she didn't feel the same way. In fact, this Sarafu person was madly in love with the Kazekage, as I could feel greatly. However, she was unsure of how he thought of her.

_I'm sure he only thinks I'm a nuisance. I get so excited when I'm around him, that I tend not to think and often get into trouble. _

"I'm not exactly sure how to comfort you on that," I spoke aloud. "I don't really know the Kazekage."

_Speak in your mind please. I know no one is here right now, but it would be good practice, and best, in case of eavesdroppers if you don't open your mouth when speaking to me. We can use this to our advantage in the future._

'Adavantage in the future? What are you talking about?'

_I'm not going to sugar-coat this. A war is erupting. Akatsuki is planning on turning Sound on the smaller villages, to expand their territory. And they also plan on turning Suna and Konoha against each other._

'What?! How?'

_I'm not exactly sure. But I don't see anyway out of this. The only way I think we can defeat Akatsuki is to unite all of the ninja villages together, to finally defeat sound and Akatsuki. Misa, do you have any ninja background?_

'Not really. My older brother is a ninja, and he trained me when I was little, but I always messed up. I was way too clumsy, so I decided to quit.'

_How lame. You sound just liek Sakura, but at least she didn't quit. Well, I guess I'll have to train you._

'T-train me? But I just told you-'

_Yes, I know, but I'm going to need your body, and we're going to get behind enemy lines. A lot. So I'll need you in tip-top shape._

I gulped. 'But I don't want any part of this! This doesn't involve me! I never gave you permission to come into my body!'

_If it wasn't for me, you would've died. And then I would've taken over your body. Either way, I would've gotten your body, I just chose to let you live. Would you rather die?_

I growled. This wasn't fair. Even if I _was_ dying, I still would've liked to be asked first. Before our conversation coud continue further, the Kazekage and my family walked in to check on me. The young red-head walked to my side and leaned forward to get a good look at my face. _Oh, Gaara!_ Sarafu's sudden giddiness was so strong it made even my heart flutter. I found myself blushing as he removed his face.

"She seems to be doing fine. This is a new practice, so I would like to ask if she may visit me every day, for a 'spiritual' check up, if you will. We're not exactly sure if forcefully putting the soul back in its body is healthy."

"Yes, I understand," my sweet little mother answered. She just seemed to be glad I was alive.

"Send her over to my office at whatever time best suits you," the Kazekage stated in an official manner, despite Sarafu's heart thumping happiness.

If she didn't stop drooling over him I wouldn't be able to keep from passing out. He bowed politely, and excused himself. My family then crowded around me asking what it was like to come back to life. Truthfully, I couldn't really remember ever dying at all. "Guys, I'm tired," I fibbed, aggrivated, and holding my head in my hands.

"Ah, sorry," my mom apologized, then shooed everyone else out of my room so I could sleep, and I needed a lot of sleep.


	2. Meeting The Kazekage

**Chapter 2: Meeting the Kazekage**

The next morning, I went to school. A normal school to Sarafu's great dissappointment. I wasn't "special" enough for her, and it was beginning to tick me off.

"Ugh!" I sighed into my chair, after second period. "It's like having a little sister in my head all day long!"

"What's wrong, Misa?" My good friend, Cha, asked me, taking her assigned seat next to mine.

"Nothing, I've just got a really bad headache," I grumbled, resting my head on my desk.

_Yeah, I love you too, asshole._

"You shut up!"

"Misa?" Cha asked me warily, and I froze as I realized that I had spoken that aloud. "Who are you talking to?"

_Smooth move, dumbass._

'Shut up, and I won't make these slip ups!'

"Oh, I'm kind of out of it, with this migrain and all. All these sounds around the room sound like people yelling at me, and it really hurts my head, so I was yelling at them to be quiet."

Cha lifted an eyebrow, a silent gesture that suggested I was psychotic, and I ws beginning to think I was.

"Ok, everyone in their seats!" the teacher called out as she walked into the room, and third period began. I grueled through Geometry, trying my best to focus on the teacher's voice and not on Sarafu's. When school finally ended, I gave a whoop of relief and bust out the door. I stopped by my locker to get my things and was countered by Cha.

"Hey, Misa, you wanna go to Town Square with Trejo and I?" She invited me kindly.

"I'd love to go, really, but I've got a. . .doctor's appointment."

"Oh, that sucks. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then!" She waved herself good-bye and left.

'You guys are taking away my social life.'

_Its better than taking away your _actual_ life._

I gave a grunt and reluctantly exited my high school to head for the Kazekage's office.

The walk wasn't that long. All important buildings (Government offices, churches, community centers, schools, etc.) were in the middle of the city, next to the town square. The streets were crowded around this time of day with people getting out of school and off of work. But that's not what annoyed me. Sarafu was squealing about the sand that got into my sandals.

_Oh, I just absolutely _love_ sand! Its so fine and it slips through your fingers! Plus it reminds me of Gaara! Oh, Gaara! If only I had my body back, then I ould rape you and-_

'Ok, I really don't need to know that.'

_Oh, you really don't appreciate this sand. I guess you'd treat trees like gold when we get to Konoha._

'Wait. 'when we get to Konoha'? Who says we're going there?!'

_Oh, maybe not right now. But once the war erupts, we're going to have to communicate with our allies, and Konoha, being the strongest, is more than likely gonna be attacked more than Suna._

'Hey! Suna can beat Konoha anyday!'

_Not in the Chuunin Exams they couldn't. Every single one of them got beaten._

'Traitor!'

_I never pledged my allegiance to Suna in the first place, so howcan I betray it? Besides, I'm devoted only to Gaara, not to the desert. _

I entered the massive dome that was the kage building. It was nicely furnished, resembling a palace. I suppose it's fitting. After all, it houses Sarafu's "Prince Charming." The clerk lady behind the big, round desk in the front lobby smiled at me and asked for my name. I gave it to her, and she told me to wait while she informed the Kazekage. I sat in a cushy, red velvet arm chair. There was a fake ficus next to my chair. Well, of course it was fake. No vegetation grew in the desert, except for a few cacti and sturdy brush. I had soon examined every luxury item in the lobby when I heard a shifting sound. I looked up from trying to find shapes in the patterns on the patterns on the fabric of the chair across from me, and stared at a moving part of the wall. The sand parted and the red-headed boy from before stepped forth. I stared in shock at the clerk lady, who in turn sighed. This apparantly wasn't his first time walking through walls like that.

_Show-off. As if we all didn't know that you could control sand._

"Welcome, Misa," Gaara greeted me politely with an affirmative nod, and I bowed in return. "I've been expecting you. Follow me."

I did as he wished and nervously walked through the hole in the wall he had created. As soon as all of my limbs were clear, he resealed the wall, as if there had never been an opening. He led me down narrow, as well as broad, hallways until we came deep within the labyrinth that was the kage building. I never expected there to be a need of so many rooms and people just for the kage. He soon pushed open two broad doors of red mahogany wood, obviously imported.

His office was wide and spacious. Almost too spacious. No tools for entertainment crowded the room. Only a simple desk, a cabinet nearby for paperwork, and three chairs, one behind the desk, and two in front of it. Otherwise, the room was empty. There weren't even any curtains on the round, glass windows. It made me feel exposed. The calm, and slightly bored, kage motioned for me to sit, and I complied nervously. The chairs were as hard and boring as he was.

He took his time, making his way to his black leather chair and seating himself comfortably. He didn't address me, but shuffled through his paperwork, as if I wasn't there. Long minutes, which seemed like eternity, passed between us before he finally broke the silence.

"Sarafu, I would appreciate it if you don't let your emotions control Miss Misa's body, if you please."

I was startled, and just realized that I had been sighing sweetly, like a fool in love, my chin resting in my hands, and a broad smile plastered on my face. I quickly wiped it off, embarassed, and angry at Sarafu.

_Sorry. I can't help it. I love him._

"You're obviously fine," he continued on. "It seems the transfer was a success, but Sarafu must've told that this isn't the reason I've asked you here."

I was surprised. Was transferring souls really not that big of a deal? "No, she hasn't. But she has told me her crazy stories."

"Oh? So you know about what we believe is to come? About the war?"

I gulped. When this rocky, dark man said it, it seemed like it was really going to happen. "Yes. Is it really going to happen?"

"I'm afraid so. Many sources support Akatsuki's plan to ignite a war between the nations. As you may know, our solution is to unite them, instead of dividing them."

"But that's where I'm worried. Unite who?"

"A good question. I see you have good sense, unlike that ghost that's hiding away in you." _Hey! I'm a spirit, not a ghost!_ "Of course, Suna and Konoha are already allies, and they have been warned of this situation. However, we plan to bring the other countries into our loop as well, such as the Water Country, and the Stone Village. We all have a common enemy: Akatsuki, Sound, and Mist. Rain is troublesome, but they aren't a true threat. If we can get the surrounding countries to join us, Akatsuki won't stand a chance."

I gulped down another lump in my throat. We were talking some serious business. 'Akatsuki? Where have I heard that before?' "Sir, who is Akatsuki, anyway?"

He paused, staring at me with sea-foam eyes. Their liquid color seemed to contrast the desert he portrayed. "Miss Misa, do you remember the incident when Suna was attacked?"

"Yes. Everyone was so up-tight about the kazekage being. . ." I trailed off into silence as I realized who I was talking to.

"Yes. Akatsuki was the one who kidnapped me."

_Those bastards! _

I grit my teeth as Sarafu's sudden rising anger was threatening to over-take me. _Those damn bastards!_ I clenched my fists, remembering images I had never seen before. Pictures of a white-haired girl and a black-haired man, both wearing the same black robe with red clouds on it. I stood up abruptly, my eyes clenched shut. "_If I ever see that damn Hinako again, I'll make her pay ten-fold for what she did to you!_" My eyes flickered open, but they weren't my eyes. The normal honey-brown color of mine were now a glowing gold with a serpentine crack down the middle. It was as if I was watching myself from some other body as I growled ferociously.

Gaara stood up calmly despite the threads of power, which I believe are called chakra, lashed out from her. He calmly walked over to her. Then, despite the uncaring expression on his face, her wrapped his arms around her, and cradled her softly. He held the back of her head, his chin resting upon it, and he rocked her back and forth. "Calm down, Sarafu. Remember that while in this state you cannot take over Miss Misa's body without her permission."

"_Un._"

I became leaden and fell back into my human container, and I had to learn how to move my limbs again. "That was very nice of you," I commented, utterly surprised at this turn of character. It was not something I expected the cold-hearted Kazekage to do.

"Don't get me wrong. I would've beaten her senseless if that was her body. That's the only way to calm her down without sending _you_ to the Spirit World."

I smiled bitterly, slightly disturbed at his way of thinking. Now I was beginning to feel sympathy for this one-sided love of Sarafu's. Beginning to.

_I think he's just saying he's protecting your body as an excuse. He really wants me! I know it!_

'I doubt that. Highly. He doesn't exactly seem like the kind of man who can love somebody.'

_Ouch. Be glad he can't hear your thoughts or that would've seriously hurt his feelings! You can't say you don't imagine him with a girlfriend in 10 years or so?_

'Now that you mention it, I _do _imagine him with a lot of girlfreinds. He could make quite the pimp.'

_NOT AS LONG AS I'M STILL IN THIS WORLD!!!!_

"It's getting late," the voice interrupted our mental conversation. I looked outside the eliptical window, and it was indeed within the dark hours of evening. Dinner was over by now.

"You should probably head home. Your mother must be worried. I'll see you tomorrow then, to finish this little conversation, without any interruptions this time."

"Un," I nodded my head, and left after bowing.

After the sentimental lecture from my mother, I quickly ate cold, left over dinner and headed up the stairs into my room. It was a spacious room-well, for our small house, anyway. My furnisher consisted of a bed, dresser, and desk which was placed next to the window for light. Each metal masterpiece was cluttered with various accomadations, but mainly sketchbooks and art supplies.

_Wow. It's like the battlefield of paper!_

'Shut up! It only looks messy, but its actually organized.'

_Uh-hun. So that pile of trash is different from _that _pile of trash?_

'I'll take an aspirin and block you out!'

_Won't do a thing, dear._

My lower lip puckered out in defeat as I readied myself for bed. Maybe sleep will bring me peace.

Nope. Sarafu was in my dreams too. I want to kill myself.


	3. Break Away

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update. Homework, ya know.Well, Chapter 3 is up!

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the original characters.

Warnings: 1 cuss word.

**Chapter 3: Break Away**

_Misa! Misa, wake up!_

"Ugh! Shut up! I don't want any pancakes!"

_No, you bafoon! No pancakes! Just wake up!_

I opened my eyes to see the familiar tan of my ceiling. "No pancakes?" I asked.

"No, no pancakes, just omelets," a voice I recognized answered me from the doorway.

I sat up to see that the voice came from my mother. She was frowning, probably from the frustration of waking me up, but I could tell she was laughing at my pancake blunder on the inside. I blushed, knowing that I usually talk in my sleep and climbed out of bed. "Sorry, Mom," I spoke sheepishly. "I over-slept again."

"You would have if I didn't wake you up," my mom snorted, fists on her hips. "Hurry and get dressed, then come downstairs for breakfast."

"Yes, Mom," I gave the monotone reply that had become habit by now, and made my way to my dresser. After my mother left the room, closing the door behind, I changed into a plain sleeveless red shirt and a red plaid mini skirt with a star chain hanging loosely around my waist. I put on my black boots, and grabbed my handbag.

_You should wear lighter tones._

'I don't like lighter tones. I like dark colors.'

_What are you, goth?_

'No. There's a new category since your time, grandma. It's called Emo.'

_I'm not old, I've heard of Emo, and you're definitely not emo. You're like. . .an emo wanna be._

Fed up with Sarafu's insults, I ignored her-much to her dislike-and continued out the door. I quickly ate the small omelet my mother had prepared, and bid her farewell. I still had plenty of time before classes, so I searched the school for my friends. However, I stumbled into a much more welcomed sight. I was coming out the library, a popular hang-out ofr my fellow book worms, and ran into the towering body clad in red.

"Ah! Sor-SHORTY!!" I gasped in delight at seeing who I had bumped into.

The red-head before me didn't seem as pleased to see me. "Oh, dear lord, its you!" He began to turn around and escape, but I grabbed his shoulder and spun him back around.

"Hey! What's that mean?" I yelled, offended.

Before I could continue on my ranting, the librarian gave us nasty looks. I diffidently pushed Shorty out of the library entrance, and into the empty hallway. This early, no one was at school, except for people who were forced to come here for organizations or clubs. I was one of the few freaks who felt like hanging out at school rather than sleeping in. Which brought me to wonder. . .

"Shorty, what are you doing here so early?" I asked him, forgetting the rude comment he paid me before.

"I could ask you the same thing."

I frowned mockingly, unable to fight back the smile that tugged at my lips. Contrary to his nickname, Shorty wasn't actually short. In fact, he was quite tall, looming over me with his red pinnacle. His color was red. His hair, his lashes, and usually his attire. I could only remember him in a red shirt, because that was practically all he wore. I liked to think of him as a walking strawberry. He hated me with a passion, but I am mostly to blame for that. He had the cutest reactions when dealt with pain, that I couldn't help but poke him profusely in his ribs. Each time he would preach of his hate of life and me, and I would giggle and tell him I love him. There was more truth in those words than he would ever know. The more I spent time with him, dealing him torment, the more I began to look forward to meeting him in Gym class.

"I'm just looking for Cha and them," I answered him, a dreamy smile on my face. I must've looked so foolish. _You do look like a love-struck fool._ 'Sh-shut up!' "Have you seen them?"

"Nope. I was just looking for-"

As if on cue, a girl came crashing through the hallway and pratically tackled poor Shorty when she was glomping him. They went flying across my veiw and they landed hard on the floor. A few of the young woman's hairs had escaped her lazy, black ponytail, and her plaid shirt was two sizes too big. Underneath her unbottoned plaid shirt was a plain light blue tee, that contrasted greatly with her black, baggy pants, belts lacing around them, and the buckles jingled with her every move. Her trademark rainbow suspenders hung at her side and immeadiatly alerted me to who she was.

"Agh! Evie! Get off of me!" Shorty gasped for air and the girl apologetically complied.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Her concern was sincere. More sincere than I would ever know.

"Nah, I'm fine. Just don't ever do that again." Shorty rubbed his head and straightened his clothes.

Evie simply smiled, but made no promises.

I finally decided to make my presence known to the two. "Hello, Sempai," I spoke as loudly as I dared, with the librarian only next door. "You're extremely hyper for so early in the morning." I forced my smile as much as I could without it looking too forced. I was becoming an expert at this, as of late. Shorty and Sempai were both a year ahead of me, and there was no way I could have the connection they had already.

_Rejected without even confessing yet._

'It's ok. I already knew I lost when I first fell in love. I don't want to come between them. Sempai is not my enemy.'

_You're so much nicer than me. I would've killed her by now. I'm lucky that Gaara puts a wall between him and his fangirls. Even the more aggressive ones don't stand a chance._

'Meaning you?'

_Exactly. If I can't have him, no one can! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!_

I tuned out Sarafu's maniacal rants to pay attention to Shorty and Sempai.

"So, we're all here, but where's Cha? She not with you Misa?" Evie-sempai asked me.

I shook my head negative. "I was just looking for her when I bumped into Shorty. I don't suppose you've seen her either?"

"Nope," Evie put her hands on her hips, her hyper-active manner keeping her from standing still. "Are you sure she's not at home still?"

"No, not really. She's usually here before me, since she lives closer."

"Speak of the devil!"

Shorty's sudden outburst caused us to turn around and see none other than Cha making her way towards us. A few people now littered the hallways. I looked at the clock on the wall next to me and saw that there was only ten minutes left until the bell rang to go to our lockers. Had that much time really passed?

"Misa! Where were you? You forgot about the meeting, didn't you?" Cha chastised me, her hands on hips.

"Oh, crap!" I exclaimed. "I completely forgot!"

"Ugh! You're completely hopeless!" Cha sighed and gave me some papers.

After explaining the metting to me, it was time to head to class, and we had to bid farewell to Shorty and Evie, but I knew I would see them second period.

I tapped my foot impatiently against the floor, and flicked my eyes to the clock continuously. My hand twitched nervously on the mouse, which accidentally clicked on something occaisionally. I was only half consciously paying attention to my Multimedia teacher. Why won't second period get here sooner?

_I would enjoy this time while you can._

'What do you mean?'

_Today is your last day of school. As of tomorrow, you're going to become a drop-out and I'm gonna train you._

'What?! No! You can't!'

_I highly recommend you leave school quietly, or I'll have you kicked out!_

I had nothing to say to that. Now I dreaded second period even more. When the destined toll of doom resounded through out the building, I lingered in my seat, pretending to finish up the project I was working on. Soon, everyone else had filed out. I felt an impatient tap on my shoulder and turned around.

"Come on, Misa!" Evie complained in a childish voice. "Let's go!"

"Ah, yes!" I stuttered and shut down the computer. Good bye, faithful Mac! I'll never see you again! I fled from the computer lab, nearly in tears! Farewells are always so tragic!

I couldn't enjoy the rest of my day. I was too depressed over leaving the school and never seeing any of my friends again, that all I did was sigh during gym while everyone pummeled each other with dodge balls. I worried everyone, but I just waved it off as fatigue. I was so out of it, that while we were forced to play dodgeball, I simply stood still, and didn't even register that I was hit until the second time. I quickly made my way to the side of the bleachers, out of view from the rest of the gym. Shorty, like me, but for a different reason, just stood there and was hit with a dodgeball and he walked over to where I was moping.

"Misa? What's up with you today?" I heard his voice, but its softness was foreign to me.

I looked up in utter shock. Was. . .is. . .he worried about me? Does he not really hate me after all? His face looked odd. Like he was trying to decide on what emotion to show. I was so happy, but so shocked at the same time. That's when I felt it. The cold, weightless feeling of being pushed out of my own body. Well, half-pushed out. I saw it all from an outsider's perspective. My eyes changing from their honey brown to that devilish gold with the dark slit down the middle. Sarafu had taken over my body. But why would she being doing that now? Why now? This was the worst moment for her to act up, when Shorty was finally beginning to show that he at least cared!

'GET OUT NOW!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!'

_I'm doing this for your own good. Any connections with this guy will only harm him and yourself._

'What? What are you going to do?'

Sarafu didn't answer my polterguiest form but moved my body forward. She grabbed Shorty's red locks and shoved him into the metal bars of the bleachers, and it resounded with a loud metallic bang. "You're dispicable!" I heard my voice spat, but I knew it wasn't me. I could never speak such horrible words to him!

'NO! STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!!!'

"You push me away all this time, and now you suddenly decide to recognize my existence! You've only shown hate and malice towards me! Now its time to return the favor!"

'STOP IT!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! GET OUT OF MY BODY!!!

Sarafu pulled Shorty by the hair and shoved him into a wall. He stumbled and fell to the ground, in pain. Obviously too shocked for words. "I hate you, Sam. I _hate_ you. I loathe you. I despise you! I never want to see you're disgusting face ever again!"

'NO!! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!! NO!!!'

The broken look on Shorty's face was so shocked and hurt, that I couldn't help but burst into tears. 'NO!! IT'S NOT ME, SHORTY!! IT'S NOT ME!!! NOOO!!!'

A single tear escaped the eye of my body, but it contrasted with the horrible expression Sarafu gave me. Then another one of my tears escaped. And another. Slowly, I felt the weight come back, but this time, the weight was a little bit heavier. I felt Sarafu fall back to the deepest part of my mind, but she wasn't wanted. I clasped my hands over my mouth, to cover the gaping opening. "I-i. . .I'm sorry. . .Shorty, I'm sorry!" I stuttered through tears before I finally couldn't take the bewildered look on his face. I turned heel and ran. As fast and as far away from him as I could get.

My mother was surprised to see me at home so early and in my P.E. uniform, none the less. I ignored her startled cries, and headed straight for my room where I could mourn in peace. Well, peace enough with an annoying bitch talking in my head.

_It was for the best. You'd rather have it this way. Trust me._

'How could I!? He hates me even more now! Why couldn't you just let me live it off at a happy note!'

_I've told you before, I'm gonna need your body to fight in the upcoming war. It's already begun._

'What? There's no war yet!'

_Not here, luckily. While I had control over your body at Gaara's, he whispered it to me, but since you weren't in the body, you didn't hear it. The Sound has already launched its attack on the Grass Village. It's toast. So, Gaara, the Hokage, and us are all gonna lead our armies out into the battle lines, and save the Grass Village. So this means you probably won't ever see you're friends and family again. You could die in this. But more importantly. . . Misa. We're not simple pawns in this game. We are much more important pieces. I would even go so far as to say we're the Queen. We can't just sit idly by and watch the world crumble before us. We must fight along side the knights, the bishops and the rooks to protect the king._

'The. . .king? Do you mean Gaara?'

_No. Gaara's merely a knight. Maybe a bishop. The king, Misa, is the peace in these countries. We must protect the order and peace that generations of kages have given their lives to protect._ _And for this, I must train you 24/7. You're years behind even the genins._

'I know. You're not gonna leave me alone.'

_It will be hard work. Misa. . .you do know that you must say good-bye to your family also. Its best if the enemy doesn't know of any hostages he could threaten us with._

'Yes, I know. I think a note would be best. If I told them in person, they'd never let me leave.'

Sarafu was silent, and I could feel an overwhelmingsince of guilt eminating from her. I still was far from forgiving her, but I could at least share this feeling.

**A/N: **Wow. That was pretty long. I noticed how drastically the mood changes as you read along. I wrote this chapter over a span of several days, and I happened to be in an angsty, depressed mood on this day, so I decided to take it out on my characters. I'm such a horrible person.


	4. Training

**A/N: **It's been a while since I've posted another chapter and I'm sorry. I've been in a sort of funke. But I finished this chapter so hear it is. Enjoy:)

**Disclaimer: **Don't own any of the Naruto characters.

**Training**

We left early that morning. The sun had not yet risen from over the horizon, so we crawled through the thinning shadows towards the gates of the village. The Kazekage was waiting for us at the exit, and the whole Suna army was outside also. We merely exchanged nods as the first rays of sunlight broke through the crisp dawn. I took one last look of my hometown before I followed the army into danger. Sarafu didn't give me any time to mope though, as soon as Gaara left us to lead the front of the march, she immeadiatly began her training.

_Misa, can you walk on your hands?_

'Yeah. I'm a gymnast. Have been since I was four.'

_Good, from now on, I want you to walk on your hands, and you're not allowed to walk on your feet until I say so._

'Are you crazy?! There's no way I can keep up with everyone at this pace!'

_Well, you're just gonna have to hurry it up then. Now do it. This is nothing compared to what I'm gonna make you go through. 'Experience the most difficult first and everything else is easy.'_

'Do I hav-'

_Now!_

I grumbled a few choice words before I flipped over onto my hands, my feet dangling above me. I took my first step, tumbled a bit, but soon regained my balance. I moved my other hand forward. I soon got the hang of it and continued my slow march along with the rest of the army.

_Ok, while you're doing this, I'm gonna teach you the basics. Do you know what chakra is?_

'No.'

_This is gonna take a while. Anywho, chakra is the energy that resides in all living beings. It is the source of power for us. Chakra is pure energy, so therefore it cannot always be seen, but if it is concentrated enough, it can be compacted into a plasma-like form. The typical color for chakra is blue, but its colors vary. The stronger the ninja the hotter its color will be.So, warm colored chakra is quite powerful and purple is the weakest. The most powerful color chakra is white. Remember that, Misa. If you ever come in contact with white-colored chakra, you get the hell out of there, or tell me. Even I may not be strong enough to fight them, now that I don't have the Moon Dragon. _

_Chakra is utilized from the body for jutsus through handsigns. There are 12 handsigns for each of the years of the Zodiac.I'll teach you those later, when you're hands are free. Hand seals are just like magic words for a spell. They release your chakra to perform the jutsu. Usually, the more hand seals the more complicated the jutsu is. Although just doing the handsigns is not enough. You need to focus and maintain your chakra. The simpler jutsus don't require much focus, but for a beginner like you, it might take a while. The first jutsu I'll teach you will be the Transformation jutsu. It only requires one handsign and minimal concentration. _

_Now, Misa, don't think you can just work on your chakra during training. A ninja must hone the body also. There are three basic types of ninja fighting. First, is ninjutsu, which isb asically any and every jutsu that requires chakra, but there's a special type of ninjutsu called Genjutsu. Genjutsu is the basis of illusionary techniques to fool an opponent. Now, although its playing tricks on the mind, it can also cause extreme pain to the victim. The third is Taijutsu. Taijutsu doesn't require chakra, so therefore it doesn't require handsigns. Taijutsu is hand-to-hand combat, but it can be enhanced with chakra. This is why we must train your body also. One can win a battle with just taijutsu. Sometimes, taijutsu is the only thing that can save you._

'Am I gonna have to meditate or anything?'

_Hahahaha. Funny. No, meditating is for monks and hippies. A ninja is a tactical weapon of flesh and blood. Its an occupation but it can also become a hobby. I'm not going to sugar-coat it. A ninja is an assassin. You're going to have to kill someone in the near future.You must shed your childish innocence and become a lethal weapon._

'Am I really going to have to do all of this?'

_Yes. I'm sorry to make you go through all of this, but the world is in danger of Akatsuki. I must protect it at all costs. I'm not just thinking about my own comfort level when I stole your body._

'For some reason, I don't find your words sincere. Something tells me you just want to protect Gaara, not the world.'

_That's true, but I really _do _want to save Konoha and Suna. I have a lot of friends there, and I want to save them. But you're right. It is mainly to protect Gaara. For him. . .For him, I would do anything, even if it hurt someone else._

'Aren't you suppose to be a good guy?'

_Only when Gaara is._

I sighed. 'I'm not exactly sure if that's love or obsession.'

By the end of the day, I knew all the handsigns and could manipulate my chakra at an "elementary school level" by Sarafu's terms. Walking on my hands has caused me to fall so behind of the marching army that I always have to run and catch up during the evening when they are resting for the day. On the third day, I had learned how to transform myself into anything I wished. Gaara-sama was greatly impressed by my progress. He said I was a natural, a "genius." Of course, when he said this, Sarafu's oppressive jealousy was radiating all day and it only caused her to train me harder. I was taking great precautions from now on to avoid the Kazekage.

On the fourth day, we reached the border line for Wind Country. From here on out, we were in Rain territory. The Hidden Rain Village, Ame, was on the other side of the small country, but not too far off. They were close enough to sense a massive Sand army coming their way.

"Suna's not exactly on good terms with Ame," a man named Baki told me. He was fairly tall and muscular. He wore the traditional uniform for jounins and had a once white cloth wraped round his head like a turban, excapt some excess wrapping hung down the side of his face, leaving only half of it visible. He gave off the vibrations of a martinet and had narrow slits for eyes, but he had a sense of restriction in his head, and wasn't as oppressive as most people thought. "I wonder if we'll be able to pass through the country peacibly."

It was on this night that I endagered the entire army of Suna. Being the weakest out of all the army, I was sent out to gather sticks for firewood. There was a light mist from the small shower we had in the afternoon. Apparantly it rained a lot in this country.

_Great. Now all the wood is wet. There's no way we're going to be able to find firewood after some rain!_

'Does the wood need to be dry?'

_Of course! Can't burn wet things! Even if it is wood!_

'Sorry. I've lived in the desert so everything burnt easily.'

Many minutes had passed and the sun was dipping behind the horizon. I was beginning to head back when I heard foot steps coming my way. _Hurry! Hide behind a tree or something!_ Without even questioning her, I ran behind the nearest tree and peaked quietly from between its branches. A young boy, just a little younger than me, maybe, was walking around in warm clothes and an umbrella. I noticed something on his forehead that reflected the fading sunlight.

'A forehead protector. He must be from Rain. What's he doing all the way over here?'

_This is his country. Its not unusual for him to be walking around here. We're the unusual ones. He's probably on a mission or something._

I held my breath as he slowly drew closer, and then suddenly he stopped, and looked around. Afraid that he had noticed my hiding spot, I quickly ducked behind the tree.

_Calm down. He can sense your nervousness._

Like a wave, complete calm and focus drifted over me from Sarafu. A sighed quietly and stood back up to spy on the ninja once again. He appeared confused, but then continued his plodding towards us. Sarafu fought to suppress my rising tension.

_Calm down, Misa. It's ok. Transform into a little girl, and make yourself look poor._

I nodded and put my hands together. Usually there was a poof of smoke, but Sarafu gave me the command I needed to make it as silent as possible. I walked out from behind the tree as a small girl around the age of six or seven, with a thin and weathered kimono made of rags and bruises on my knee and elbow. I had big, round, greyish-blue eyes and a deep black mock of hair on my head. I walked around sheepishly, like a frightened child. The nin noticed me, but didn't appear hostile. "What are you doing out here, little girl?"

"I-I was looking for some sticks for a fire," I spoke in the cutest voice I could muster. "Mommy said to. But, I'm lost now and don't know which way is home."

The Rain nin knelt down so he was at the same height as me. "Where do you live, little girl?"

_Tell him you don't have a house. That you're too poor._

"I don't have a house. Mommy and I live in the woods. Mommy says we don't have enough money for a place to live, so we try to make by in the woods."

The Rain ninja radiated with pity. "I'll try to help you find your mommy again." He picked me up and sat me on his shoulders. He held onto my legs to keep me steady and my heart sank. I was trapped.

_Dammit. He'll figure out we're fakes when he's searched the entire forest and there's no 'mommy.' I didn't want to have to do this, but...Misa. Put your fingers on his head and concentrate your chakra into his brain and then whisper 'Nemuri.' I'll try to help you._

I followed her commands and whispered "nemuri" into the ninja's ears. He obviously recognized the word and was about to give a shout, but then he grew limp and fell crashing to the floor, with me along with him. The collision with the muddy ground caused me to loose focus, and undo my jutsu. I was back to being my original self, but with a sleeping Rain ninja along with me. At first, it took a while to register the thought into my brain, but then I gave a shout of victory and danced around.

_Congratulations on defeating your first opponent, but this is not a good time to celebrate._

'Why not?'

_Sooner or later, this ninja's comrades will notice he's gone missing, and when he wakes up and they find him, he's gonna tell them that we attacked him, and there's nothing we can say against that. Rain will declare a war against Suna._


	5. Oh, Shit

**A/N:** Sorry I haven't been doing anything in a while. I've been kinda...uninspired. Well, here's a short chap for you. I probably won't start this up again until Naruto stops all its damn fillers!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 5: Oh, Shit.**

"Sh-should we tell the others?!" I stuttered, my fear rising to an overwhelming rate.

_Calm down. I don't think it wise to tell anyone, except for Gaara. He probably won't punish you. He'd want to punish me, but can't without hurting you. Besides, he's the leader of this whole expedition. It would be best to tell him. _

'What about the body?' I asked telepathically, and then shivered at how much like a murderer I was sounding, although the ninja wasn't dead.

_We'll hide him. We can't have anyone finding him and we can't exactly bring him with us. Tie him up too. Can't have him waking up and then leaving._

I did as I was told, guilt tugging at my stomach the whole time. My hands felt dirty as I shakily tied the boy and hid him in the hollow of a tree. Then I made my way back to the army. It wasn't much trouble to speak with the Kazekage. Most were used to me talking with him in private. That didn't mean they didn't think it odd for someone like me, who's not even a ninja, to be speaking so familiarily with the Kazekage, and in private, no less.

"What do _you_ want?" Gaara-sama asked me when I arrived, obviously in a bad mood.

"Ah, s-s-orry," I recoiled in fright.

"Excuse me," Gaara said more calmly as he realized it was me. "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Sarafu. What is it?"

_Oh, Gaara, my love, how can you be so cruel!!_

"Umm, I kinda did something...um...bad," I tried to get the words out, ready for punishment. When Gaara was silent, waiting for my reply, I continued. "I happened to bump into a Rain ninja on my way here and..."

Gaara thrust his face into his hands in desperation. "Oh, no, Sarafu, you didn't."

_It's not my fault!_

"H-he's not dead!" I started, trying to relieve the terribleness of the situation. "I just put him to sleep! Sarafu told me to hide him and tell you."

_Tell him you had no choice! He was going to discover you!_

"H-he was going to see us, and then he would know about the Suna army coming through Rain territory!"

"So what?" Gaara quirked a non-existant eyebrow. "It's not like I wasn't going to inform their kage. Besides, you don't have a headband. How would they know you are from Suna?"

I froze as this never occured to me.

'Oops.'

_Oops._

"Just go back and free him," Gaara sighed. "Maybe he'll just pass it off as a dream. It's not like he knew you were from Suna."

"H-hai!" I answered, bowing my head. Then I left the tent in which Gaara was staying in and returned to where I had hidden the boy.

I was just getting to the knot of the ropes when the sound of footsteps on wet leaves alerted me. I flung my head around to find three Rain ninjas staring at me in horror.

"Y-you," the skinny, green-haired one in the middle pointed an accusing finger at me. "You're from Suna, aren't you?!"

A gasp escaped my lips. 'H-how did he know?'

_I have no idea, but this is not good! Lie!_

"N-no," my lie was so obvious.

"Orochimaru-sama told us this would happen!" a shorter boy next to the taller with teal-colored hair shouted. "Suna has come to attack the village! They already got Machi!" He pointed to the boy I was currently in the process of untying.

_Orochimaru?! Orochimaru told them!_

"N-no! It's not like that!" I tried to persuade them. "I found him like this! I was trying to help him! I'm not from Suna! I'm from a neighboring village!"

"Oh really? What's the name?" the skinny one asked me, suspicious.

"Umm..." 'What should I say?!' _I don't know of any names around here! Make one up!_ "Tamakuri?" _Don't make it sound like a question, idiot!_

"There is no such village around here!" the short one exclaimed. "Come on, Hijiri! Let's take her to Minase-sensei!"

'Oh, shit.'

_This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!_

'Sarafu! What do I do?!'

_How the hell am I supposed to know?_

'I don't know! You're a ninja what would you do in this situation?'

_Kill them, but that probably wouldn't help us any. Besides, your abilities right now suck! You can't take them on, let alone three! _

They approached me, ready to spring. I looked up at them. What the hell am I supposed to do?!


	6. Captured

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. Too much homework and too little inspiration. But I've got this chapter up! R&R!!

**Captured**

The interrogation was easy to thwart. Since it relied on the subject becoming mentally worn out, we merely switched personalities, renewed and refreshed each time. The interrogaters themselves became more exhausted than the little ninja girl. They gave up, leaving me in a cell of pitch black.

'Hey, Sarafu. What do we do now?'

_We've already felt around this place all we could. I don't think there's a way out. The only thing we can do is wait for them to come back and try to escape then. Until then, we should get some rest. I'm pooped!_

'Are you sure its safe?'

_Don't worry. I'll sleep with one eye open._

'Heh. I'm the only one here with real eyes.'

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"Hey, are you ok?" the young voice rang out into the open air.

I opened my eyes reluctantly. "Ugh! I don't wanna go to school, Mom..." I fully opened my eyes to a strange light. It took me a while to realize that there was a hole open in my cell, letting the light poor into the dark and push it back. "W-who's there?" I spoke out into the silence.

"I'm the gaurd, for morning shift," the same voice answered me. It sounded like a young boy. Even younger than me. Maybe seven or so.

"The gaurd?" I inquired. "But you sound so...young."

"I know," the little boy continued, sheepishly. "I'm only a newbie genin so they always make me do boring jobs like gaurding and odd-jobs. It really sucks! But at least I'm not in danger."

"That's sensible," I made small talk. "But not from a genin. Why did you even become a ninja if you want to avoid danger?"

"I didn't do it willingly!" the voice shouted, then in a calmer tone, the boy said, "My older brother is a great ninja, and my parents want me to be just like him. They made me become a ninja."

I opened my mouth to reply, but then echoing footsteps shut me up. The little boy started from the sounds of it. "I'll talk to you later!" he whispered quickly and then closed the hole, so I was left in darkness again.

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I woke up again to the same voice. This time, the boy spoke quickly in huffs. "Are you from the Sand?" he rasped hoarsely.

"Yeah, what of it?" I immeadiatly answered, curious as to the boy's distress.

"The Kazekage came today!"

_Gaara?!_

"What? Why?"

"He spoke with the leaders!"

_G-gaara..._

"Tell me! Tell me everything!!"

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"Keh," Kankurou growled. "They're treating us like prisoners." He eyed the glaring gaurds with contempt. He sat in a wooden chair in front of a large round, oaken table. To his left was his little brother, Gaara, and to his right was his kick-ass sister, Temari. Across from them were various men in their late stages of life. They were all frowning deeply.

"That's because they feel threatened," Temari explained calmly. This didn't please some of the men.

"Why are you leading such a large force of nin through our country?" one of them exploded, but a raised hand from the other calmed him down.

"Please answer the question, Kazekage-sama," the old man who had previously raised his hand to the other sack of wrinkles said.

Gaara closed his eyes and rested his chin on his knuckles. "A war is brewing. Akatsuki is stirring up some of the countries, especially Sound, and are trying to destroy the ninja community all-together. We are gathering forces to eliminate Akatsuki once and for all."

"Proposterous!" a man with dark blue hair shouted. "On what information do you base this on?!"

Gaara did not open his eyes, nor did he answer. Temari was afraid he fell asleep before the old man from before, who appeared to be their kage, spoke. "If you cannot answer that question, then answer this: Do you even know where to locate Akatsuki?"

Again, Gaara did not speak, but he did open his eyes. He was completely still, which angered some of the hot-blooded members of the group.

"So you are merely doing this on a whim?!" the blue-haired one shouted again. "Do you plan to start this war yourself?! Don't cause problems for the rest of us! If you want to get your village destroyed, fine by me, but leave ours out of it!!"

Many others mumbled in agreement. The old man spoke up again. "I'm afraid I must agree with them, Kazekage-sama. There's just too many vague points, and I see no point in fighting with no purpose."

"I understand," Gaara stood up. Temari and Kankurou followed suit. "We will just simply pass through our way then. We will leave by tomorrow."

The men gave no means of farewell as the Kazekage left the room. Outside, in the hallway, Kankurou was unsettled.

"You know, they're right, Gaara," he pointed out, nervously, still wary of his brother's temper. "We don't really have a true destination, do we?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree," Temari spoke up. "We really have nothing to back up our reason. I mean, who's to say Sarafu's information wasn't false?"

Gaara stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the two of them. They froze, afraid to have angered the red-head. He may no longer have the Shukaku, but that didn't mean he was weak. "I believe her." Then he continued walking.

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We waited in the cell of dark. Since the little boy gaurd wasn't yapping at us, I judged it to be late evening or night by now. I exhaled a depressed sigh as I waited for sleep to take me. Unfortunately, a bright flood of light didn't help.

"Hurry!" a familiar voice brought me to Earth, and a firm hand tugged at me. "We've gotta get out of here!"

My eyes finally adjusted to the light and I realized who was pulling me out of my dark room. "Temari?"

"Yes," the blonde sighed anxiously, pulling me along. "Now hurry up and get out of here!"

_Alright! She's busting us out!!_

I followed her closely as we ran through narrow passages and turned countless numbers of corners. How could she remember the way back through this maze? I didn't linger on the thought for we were already outside. The smell of smoke hit me like an iron ball. I hacked and coughed, desperate for air, but Temari payed no attention to my health. She pulled me along just as vigorously as before. I looked around to see the source of the smoke. The village was engulfed in flames.

"You didn't have to create such a terrible distraction just to get me out!" I shouted at the blonde, who continued on.

"We didn't!" She yelled back at me, irritated. "Akatsuki did."

_Akatsuki?!_

"Akatsuki?" I repeated dumbly. "What are they doing here?!"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

Fear sped my footsteps and we dodged the falling pieces of burning debri. The huge trees in this rainforest village were falling from their majesty. I couldn't help but feel that these crumbling towers were disappointing. We broke through one last cloud of smoke ad I could see Gaara and the rest of the villagers watching their village crumble. However, my relief was interrupted by a shrewd laugh.

"So, Gaara, where's your little girlfriend, Sarafu?" a familiar yet distant voice echoed through the crackling air. "It's been a while since I've kicked her ass."

I flicked around to look up into the air and discover a massive silver dragon with a young woman in a black coat and white hair smirking down at us.

_H-H...Hinako..._


	7. A Reason To Fight

**A/N: **Alright! I finished! Huzzah!! Anywho, it's a short chap, but necessary. R&R, please.

Disclaimer: (Haven't done it in a while) Don't own any of the characters.

**A Reason To Fight**

_H-H...Hinako..._

A flood of Sarafu's memories hit me in a flash. All of them were of this white-haired girl, Uchiha Hinako. Her best friend, her best enemy. The times they spent together as a Genin. The moments they spent fighting, yelling at each other. Moments they smiled silently, not having to speak a word. Moments they pitted dragon against dragon and fought beneath the full moon. Moments they spent on that double date together. Moments they spent in childhood. Moments they spent as best friends.

"Come on, Misa, let's go," Temari whispered into my ear, pulling me over to the Kazekage. "Sarafu, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to keep quiet."

I stared at her stupidly and followed her mindlessly, years of memories flooding my mind.

"So, Gaara, where's Sarafu?" Hinako spoke above the flames on her silver dragon.

"I haven't seen her since the time you-I mean, Akatsuki-killed me," Gaara spoke calmly. "I told her to remain in Sora and so she has."

"But Sora has fallen!" Hinako declared triumphantly into the air. "My brother and I destroyed it! Don't tell me that she was actually lost to that dragon! Sarafu would've found a way out! She would've survived! She's like a cockroach, you just can't kill her!"

Gaara frowned. "Explain."

"Oh, you haven't heard? We attacked Sora, causing it to crash into the Earth, and Sarafu morphed into the Moon Dragon to save her precious city. After that, the dragon flew away. The Moon Dragon seemed to be the one in control. Her soul must be lost in limbo! What a sore loser! HAHAHAHA!!"

She laughed shrilly. This woke me up from my trance. I looked up at her. "Th-this girl," I growled, clenching my fists. I strode forth in front of the crowd and glared up at her. "You just learned that your best friend is dead and you laugh?!" I shouted at her, my rage consuming me.

"Misa! Stop!" Temari shouted at me. "You can't fight her the way you are now."

I ignored her. More rather, I couldn't hear her. I was too busy glaring at the girl who had just recently stopped mid-luagh. She looked down at me, amused. "Did you know Sarafu, girl?"

"Yes, and I also know about you, Uchiha Hinako!" I yelled up at her. "She admired you! Looked up to you! And you laugh at her soul being lost?! She didn't even get to die a normal death! She's lost to who knows where! And she even did it to save those ungrateful bastards of Sora who probably haven't even recognized her efforts! You dare to _laugh_ at her misery?!"

Hinako's smile was gone, and a grim face was there. "Weak people like you should just shut up!" She flung her hands through the air and ice shards came flying towards me. I leapt to the side, but one of them sunk deep into my left arm. Before I could even wince at the pain, the Uchiha's cold hands clasped my neck, lifting me off the ground.

"Know your place, vermin!" she spat and flung me to the side.

However, I felt my body cushion against an obstacle. I turned to find a wall of sand blocking my flight. Gaara.

The white-haired prodigy turned to the red-headed kage. "Gaara. I simply came here to warn you. Akatsuki has already gathered seven jinchuuriki. Your efforts against us are futile."

Gaara didn't speak.

"Boring as ever. Well, I shall leave ya'll like this. I can't kill you without permission yet. Ciao!"

She gave a little wave and then hopped back onto her dragon and they flew off into the smokey sky.

Temari immeadiatly came over to me and began her punishment. "You idiot!! What were you thinking?! If Gaara hadn't off caught you you could've been killed!! She's a member of Akatsuki! You can't go against her!!"

Gaara stepped between Temari and I, calming his older sister down. "Was it you speaking, Misa, or was it Sarafu?" he asked me calmly.

"It was me," I replied. "I have seen all of Sarafu's memories, all of her past. I know how she felt towards that girl." I looked up, straight into Gaara's aqua eyes. "I want to become stronger, Kazekage-sama! I want to become stronger so I can fight Hinako. For Sarafu."

The red-head nodded. He understood. He turned to the now quiet blonde. "Temari, you're coming with me. Kankurou will lead the nin to help the Rain Village. Misa, you're coming too."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To Konoha," he smiled slightly. "It's time we paid our old friends a visit."


	8. First Reunions

A/N: Yay! All our fav characters are back, and someone special...

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

_Italicised _Sarafu

In ' ' is Misa's thoughts.

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**First Reunions**

There were more trees here than in the Rain Village. The Fire Country is so big!! I gawked at all the green surrounding the Leaf Village. No other name would be more fitting.

"Close your mouth; you're drooling," Gaara chided me as we walked throough the enourmous wooden gates.

"Sorry," I wiped my face.

"That's right," Temari mused. "This is your first time seeing Konoha, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I'm glad I became a ninja, now. Otherwise, I'd have never seen a single tree in my entire life!"

The gaurds at the door bowed to Gaara and bade him to the Hokage's office. We followed along and soon arrived to a massive, red, dome building similar to the one in Suna. At the top was the character for "fire".

'So, Sarafu, what's the Hokage like?' I asked mentally as we walked up a flight of stairs.

_Well, she's-_

Her voice was cut off by a louder voice screaming, "SHIZUUUUUNNEEEEEE!!"

We stopped to see a frantic woman with short brown hair run hecticly into a room. "Hai, Tsunade-sama!"

I looked at Temari, who just shook her head. Gaara was emotionless as usual and continued into the room. The room was spacious, but that didn't stop the desk from being cluttered with mountains of paper work that managed to stay on the desk and not get anywhere on the floor. Between the loads of paperwork was a vexed blonde haired woman with a purple diamond on her forehead. She looked very young and pretty, a really flaming beauty.

_This is Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, a pioneer in the medical arts. However, she has a short temper and has a bad drinking and gambling problem. She always manages to lose. Plus, she's actually an old lady, but no one knows that. _

'Really?'

"Oh? Gaara?" the Hokage looked up. "I got your letter but it didn't say anything about a visit."

"That's because I decided to do this just yesterday," Gaara informed her. "You must know the present situation, I presume?"

"Yes, it's disturbing news," Tsunade's face grew grim. "Akatsuki has been causing problems for us lately, as well. We lost a jounin, but managed to defeat two members. So far, we know that 3 are dead, but who knows about the rest of them. And guess what. The one to defeat a member of Akatsuki was none other than Naruto himself. Of course, he came in the middle of the battle, but he delivered the finishing blow." She smiled proudly.

"Wow, the shrimp," Temari was obviously impressed. "Who ever would've guessed?"

"He's been training hard the past month," Tsunade continued. "I should say he's reached jounin level by now. However, he's technically still a Genin."

I felt uncomfortable in this situation. I had never met any of these people, so I couldn't share in the nostalgia, so I examined Gaara's face and was surprised to see little smirk on his face.

_Naruto and him are sort of like buddies. They have...had a similar situation. I guess I kinda count in that category. We're all jinchuuriki. Well, Gaara and I don't really count anymore, since we no longer have the monsters within us. However, it appears Naruto is one of the last jinchuuriki left. He's all they need to gain unsurmountable power. _

"So is this her?" Tsunade's voice penetrated our conversation. The Hokage was standing in front of me, smiling.

"Yes," Gaara spoke the affirmative.

"So you're Misa?"

"H-hai!" I stuttered, as I realized I hadn't been paying attention. I bowed briskly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hokage-sama! And Sarafu says 'hi' also!"

"So she really is in there!" Tsunade exclaimed. "What a predicament you got yourself into! Have you thought of a way to get your body back yet?"

"_No_," Sarafu spoke through me. "_My body _is _the Moon Dragon right now. The only way I could get it back would be to fuse with the Dragon again and kick _it _out, instead. I just don't see that happening._"

"We'll talk about this more in length later," Tsunade sighed. "For now, how about you go meet everyone. It's been a while since you've seen everyone. What's it been? A year? Anyway, I'll assign you guys rooms, so come back later and I'll show you."

We all nodded and then left.

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The first 'reunion' I had was with a boy named Shikamaru. He looked simple and bored and his black hair was in a spiky ponytail. He was only 16, but already a jounin. I, needless to say, was impressed. Sarafu apparantly saw it coming.

The next people I met were Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. I thought Hinata was cute, Kiba a dumbass, and Shino scared me a little. He looked like some shady drug-dealer in his hood and sunglasses. He didn't talk too much either.

"So, Misa, you possessed by Sarafu, or somethin'?" Kiba asked, sniffing my shoulder, which I didn't really appreciate.

"Yes, you could say that," I twitched, trying to think of a way to make him stop.

_Here, let me help you._

I gave Sarafu control of my body. She quickly grabbed Kiba by the collar and threw him across the street into a wall. "_STOP SNIFFING ME, STUPID!!! MISA DOESN'T LIKE IT!_"

"Yup, that's Sarafu, alright," Hinata and Shino spoke harmoniously.

Kiba quickly recovered, however, and came back to yell at Sarafu. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR PUNK?! I WAS JUST CURIOUS!!"

"_STUPID MUTT!! STOP SNIFFING PEOPLE!! IT'S RUDE!! YOU'RE STILL AS BOARISH AS EVER!!_"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S BOARISH!!! LOOK AT THAT HOLE YOU MADE!!!"

They squabbled on for some time, before Shino and Hinata dragged Kiba along home, still itching for a fight.

Next, we meet Gai-sensei, Lee, TenTen, and Neji. We were walking through the streets when the group came walking towards us. Lee and Gai-sensei in their green spandex suits, walking on their hands, and TenTen and Neji walking along side, embarassed to be seen with these people. Lee noticed us first.

"Gaa-I mean, Kazekage-sama!" He flipped over onto his feet and ran over to the red-head, all smiles. "I didn't hear that you were coming!"

I finally got a clear shot of his face, and it froze me. T-the eyebrows...they were soo..._fuzzy_! He had long eyelashes, and wide eyes...he...looked like a girl! An ugly girl! My mouth hung open.

"That's because it was so sudden," Temari explained.

"Ah! Who is this?" the ugly girl turned toward me, which made me shiver.

"This is Misa," Gaara introduced us. "She's possessed by Sarafu."

"Sarafu?! Wha?!" He gasped, which made me cringe. 'It's mouth opened.'

"Yeah, she died, managed to come back here," Temari sighed. "It's a long story."

The fuzzy brows looked at me and smiled. I swear if he made another grotesque move, I was going to wet myself. "My name's Rock Lee! How are you?" He put his hand forth.

I couldn't conatin myself. I burst. "OH MY GOD!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!!! ITS SO UGLY!! THE EYEBROWS ARE HUGE!!! IT'S EYES ARE WEIRD!!!! IT STICKING ITS TENTACLE AT ME!!! GAARA, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

Now that I had gotten it all out, a second look showed him not to look so bad. However, he was laready frozen from the shock. That's when Gai-sensei came in. That just set it off all over again.

"HOLY CRAPPERS!! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!! HELP!!! HELP!! SOMEONE CALL THE POUND!!! GET THESE HIDEOUS MONSTERS OUT OF MY SIGHT!!! TAKE A LAWNMOWER TO THEIR HEADS!!! THOSE EYEBROWS ARE SO BIG THEY COULD BE BRAIDED!! IT'S SIMPLY GROTESQUE!!!!"

Now I had a grown man and a grown boy rolling on the floor crying. I felt terrible.

"Ahh...Uh..I'm sorry...I just have bad people skills," I spoke quietly, unsure of what to do. I froze when I heard a deep chuckle. The voice was menacing and dark, and I reluctantly turned around to see Gaara chuckling. GAARA CHUCKLING!!! I ran behind TenTen cowering in fear.

"_Who are you and what have you done with my lover?!"_ Sarafu shouted.

A wall of sand smashed her/me in the face. "Who's your lover?" Gaara wasn't chuckling anymore.

We exchanged a few words and then left the group.

I met Naruto and Saukra in the hospital. Sakura was pretty with pink hair, however, she became a fierce demon everytime Naruto said something stupid, which was often. Naruto and his blonde self seemed to be more interested in Gaara.

_I never really got to know him anyways. I've always heard that we're alike in many ways, but we just never happened to be in the same spot at the same time. He...he always got such a soft expression from Gaara. I was always so envious of him.Everyone seemed to be such great friends with him. He's the sun of Konoha. _

'Then what are you the sun of?'

She didn't answer me.

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We arrived back at the Hokage's office late in the evening. However, this time, she was already speaking with somoene. At first glance I thought it was a girl, but then she showed some masculine traits, I became discombobulated. I couldn't figure out what its gender was. It was wearing a black shirt cut high so that its belly was completely visible, and it only had one sleeve, but wore gloves on both hands. It had black capri pants and short black hair. Weapons were visible along its utility belt it wore.

Tsunade looked up. "I see you're back," she walked to us with a smile. "Did you have fun?"

"What do you consider 'fun'?" Gaara asked, almost irritated.

"I see," Tsunade laughed. "So, Sarafu _you_ had fun apparantly. What about you Misa?"

"There were some..._interesting_ people," I stuttered.

"So you meet Lee, eh?" Tsunade laughed. "I hope you'll excuse the eyebrows. He's really not a bad guy."

"I suppose," I smiled nervously. I truly was sorry for my harsh words. I just don't take shocks very well.

"Well, I've assigned you all seperate rooms in an inn not too far from here," the Hokage continued. "No, Gaara, it's my treat. You've helped us numerous times, the least I can do is give you free rooms! By the way, Misa, this is Sai," she motioned to the 'it'. "He'll be your guide during your soujorn here. I'm sure that Gaara and Temari will be busy."

'Busy?'

I looked over at Gaara, anxious. I didn't want to be seperated from them in this unfamiliar place.

_Don't worry! I used to live here, remember? Although I've never seen this guy-girl..thing...before. I'm as lost as you are on this topic. _

The one named Sai walked up to me, a smile on its face. "It's a pleasure to meet you," it extended its hand.

'Even the voice is unisex. What the hell is this thing?'

I took the hand and gave it a little shook before he left me to meet the Kazekage. I was a little uneasy with Sai at first, but when it put its hand on Gaara's shoulder and said in the most obviously seductive voice "It's a _pleasure_ to meet you," I just knew that then and there this Sai was a woman and was gonna have some problems with me. And Sarafu, who was silently fusing at that moment, begging me to let her beat the crap out of Sai.


	9. Fusion

**A/N:** Alright! Spring Break! Party!! guzzles down several beers No, seriously, it's Spring Break, so I've got one full week to sleep, do my English/Human Geo projects and to write my stories!! Yay! So here's this new chap of Possessed. (I know Sai is a man in the manga, but stick with me here, people.)

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

**Fusion**

Waking up took all my strength this morning because Sarafu's anxiety kept me up all last night worrying over Gaara. she kept begging me to sneak over to his room to make sure that "_hussy Sai_" wouldn't make a move on her man. And I was going to have to walk around with this 'hussy' all day long. I was seriously not in the mood.

I got dressed and walked out the door to see Sai leaning against the wall, smirking at me. My sleepy frown turned into a completely ticked off frown.

"Good morning, Misa," she smiled.

"Good morning...Sai," I grumbled, obviously not wishing her a good morning in my head.

Sai seemed unaffected by my tone however. "I realized last night that I didn't tell you a specific rendezvous point, so I came here to pick you up. We're going to meet you're new sensei!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" I was awake now.

"Oh? Tsunade-sama didn't tell you?" Sai showed the perfect face of surprise. I so new it was fake, that little sphinx! "Since you are new to the ninja world you are in dire need of training in order to catch up to even the Genin level. I doubt you can even throw a kunai!"

My eye twitched. _Oh, this little wench is so going down!_ "'Can't even throw a kunai'?! I'll show you!! Take me to this 'sensei'!"

"As you wish," Sai bowed mockingly as she led the way. I was grumbling the whole way along.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We arrived at an open field surrounded by a wire fence with signs reading STAY OUT and OFF-LIMITS. I wasn't so sure we were supposed to be here, but Sai insisted. If she was lying to keep me here, I was so going to-

"Sorry, for the wait!" a voice called out.

I turned around to see a man with long gold hair, in a chinese robe with flower print. His flowing hair was in a ponytail and it whipped in the wind. He was beautiful and disturbing.

"_Kyo-sensei!!!" _Sarafu called out as she leapt for a hug, however was flat-out rejected as the beautiful man punched her in the face.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Mr. Kyo!!" He shouted and then looked at my now ruined face. "Oh, sorry! You're Misa right? It was a reaction! Excuse me!"

'Sarafu...you're going to get me killed one day.'

_Heeheheh. Sorry._

I wiped the blood from my face and looked up. "I'm Misa, it's a pleaure to meet you, Kyousuke-sensei."

"Ah! I see Sarafu has already told you about me!"

"Showed, rather. But yes. You look so much more beautiful in person. Sarafu's memories of you are not fond."

"Oh...really," Kyousuke's eye twitched.

_Misa! You'll get us both killed!_

"I-I was just joking!!" I threw in. "Of course she has fond memories of you! I just wanted to get her into trouble! So please don't punch me again!" I quivered with my arms up in defense. That last punch really hurt!

"It's ok, Misa, I won't hurt you," Kyousuke sighed, patting my head. "I just have to remember you're a compltely different person. And I'd like it if you called me Mr. Kyo from now on. The sensei makes me sound old."

_But you are old._

"Alright, Mr. Kyo!" I exclaimed with a smile, and Kyousuke smiled too.

"Now ,I here you are in need of some training," he began. "Since we have such a limited amount of time, I'd like it if we emphasized on your strengths. Tell me. What are your strengths?"

"Well," I searched through my head. "I used to be a gymnast before all of this so I'm very flexible. Call me a contortionist, if you will. I'm not really strong on my own, and I have good eyesight and hearing."

"So you have peaked senses," Mr. Kyo commented. "This works perfectly! I'll specialize you in genjutsu! Sarafu is all brawn and no brains. You'll pick up where she's slacking. Together, you can excel in all fields. I'm sure Sarafu has been training your muscles?"

_I'll show you who has no brains!!_

"That's for sure," I snorted, but then righted myself, realizing I was in the presence of my sensei.

Mr. Kyo simply laughed it off. "She hasn't changed. For now, I shall heighten your defenses, since the goal of this training is to keep you alive long enough to teach you how to fight. What's the point of being able to attack, if they hit you once and you're down? First order of business: Misa, we're going to work on our chakra control. Do you know what chakra is?"

"Hai!" I nodded.

"Good. I want you to concentrate all of your chakra into your hands. And Sarafu, you can't help at all. She needs to learn this on her own."

_Sorry, girl._

'I don't need your help anyway!'

_Cocky, aren't we? Fine! Be that way! I'm going to sleep. _

'Fine!'

Putting Sarafu aside, I placed my hands together like Sarafu had taught me many times as the basic handsign for all jutsus. I closed my eyes to all distractions, and searched deep within me for that pool of power I knew lay dormant within me. I tapped into that source and drew it forth through my body to my hands. I opened my eyes. Within 5 minutes, I had concentrated my chakra into my hands to the point they were glowing blue.

"Ha! I did it!" I exclaimed, but the blue faltered and then disappeared.

"You lost your concentration," Mr. Kyo sighed. "Well, it was a good first try. Now you need to work on maintaining it. But! There is also something else I want you to do meanwhile. I want you to be doing bear squats while concentrating your chakra into your hands. Now, I know it seems difficult, but we've got to work on multiple subjects at once."

My heart dropped along with the rest of me. I knew it was going to be hard, but this felt like gym class all over again. I sighed and looked up to see Mr. Kyo kneeling in front of me with a smile.

"It's ok," he consoled me. "You can do this. Just keep thinking that in your hand. 'I _can_ do this. I _can_ do this' and you'll be alright! Training is a psychological thing. As long as you truly believe you can continue, you can continue. Understand?"

I smiled weakly. "Yeah. High spirits will lift me up, right?" I stood up and took a deep breath.

Mr. Kyo straightened himself also. "A word of advice: get into the rhythm of bear squats first, that way, your focus isnot on the bear squats, but on the chakra in your hands."

"Ok!" I nodded my head briskly. I placed my hands together and then squatted down.

Mr. Kyo looked over to the silent Sai. "Do you have the free time to be loitering around here?" he seemed almost rude.

"I was ordered to guide her around Konoha," Sai spoke with a business-like tone.

"Yes, but not to gaurd her," Mr. Kyo pointed out. "I can lead her back to her rooms after this. Training will take all day. She's in my custody now."

The two stared at each other for a while, on the surface calm, but I could sense the hostility lingering in the air. However, Sai's intense bloodlust faded away and she smiled. "I will tell my boss, then," Sai bowed politely and then began to walk away. "I guess I'll pay the Kazekage a little visit then." She added over her shoulder.

"WHAT?!" I shouted and the chakra I had been focusing into my hand exploded in my face, causing me to fall back and land on my bum.

"Misa, concentrate!" Mr. Kyo chastised me as he checked to see if I was ok.

"Sorry," I apologized, rubbing my aching butt. I could hear Sai's echoing laughs as she disappeared.Like I could concentrate now.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My present standing record for holding chakra into my hands is a whole whopping seven minutes. I was proud of myself, although Sarafu was laughing at my accomplishments.

_I could meditate all day while doing that._

'Give me a break! I'm a beginner! I haven't even gone through the Academy!' I retaliated.

_I knwo, I know. It's just...you're about the same age as me, and I keep wanting to compare you on the same level. _

'Is that supposed to be a compliment, or an excuse?'

_Take it as both._

'Will do.'

I had been walking to the inn when Sarafu's 'love' sensors went off. I looked up to see a familiar red-head walking towards me.

"K-Kazekage-sama!" I stuttered my heart beating rapidly for some odd reason. I thought I had become used to his prescence by now. Because of Sarafu's familiarity with him, I unconciously act freidnly with him also. Maybe I was just now realizing our statuses. Maybe that's the reason I feel so nervous.

"Has training gone well?" he asked me monotone, his face ever the perfect slab of godly stone. Wait...godly?

"Yes, I'mprogressingsplendidly," I got the words out wihout a stutter, however I shouted it all out in one breath. Would my heart ever stop its encessant racing?

He stared at me, more than likely freaked out by my fidgeting. His perfect blank face made it hard to decipher his reaction.

"S-so...what are you d-doing here so l-late?" I asked. Curse my infernal stuttering!

"Honestly, I came to check on you," his face was ever so blank, but I couldn't be happier if me smiled. Wait a second! Why do I care if he smiles?

"Oh, t-thanks," his charming words weren't helping. Now he's charming? What's wrong with me?

_Hey, are you ok, Misa?_

'I don't know.'

_I can hear your thoughts, you know._

'I-I know! What I _don't _know is why I'm having these thoughts.'

"Get some rest," Gaara said as he walked past me. "It seems like you need it."

"Y-yeah..." I muttered quietly as I stared at his retreating figure. My heart sank to my shaking knees.

I gulped down the lump in my throat and then inside the inn up into my room. I flung myself onto my mediocre bed and tried my best to ignore Sarafu's inquiries. She finally backed down when I stopped replying to her. I know I was confusing her, but I do believe I was more confused.

One thing I know: I'm undeniably in love with Gaara.

One thing I don't know: Whether these are my feelings, or Sarafu's.


	10. Differentiating Gender

**A/N: **This chapter is kind of short, but it had to end here. I'm kicking the pace up a bit faster than I first anticipated, but that's alright. I'm trying to work more on my writing rather than just getting the story down. Anywho, R&R.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

WARNINGS: Cussing.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Differentiating Gender**

These thoughts in my head have been driving me nuts, and the terrible thing is: Sarafu can hear every single one of them. Surprisingly, she wasn't angry at me. I expected to have a headache all day, but she talked it out calmly with me.

'I'm sorry, Sarafu! I'm really, terribly sorry!'

_It's ok, it's not your fault. In fact, you haven't done anything wrong._

'B-But I...I like Gaara now too! I feel like I've betrayed you!'

_Don't worry. You haven't betrayed me and you haven't fallen in love with Gaara. These are my feelings. Why do you think I wasn't spazing out in your mind? I was channeling my feelings through you. _

'But I can't stop thinking about him! And when I see his face in my mind, my heart starts to beat really fast and my cheeks grow hot and-'

_That's just a sign of us growing closer together. Our souls have been sharing the same continer for so long, It's getting hard to distinguish between my soul and yours, but don't worry. I know for sure that you don't love Gaara._

'But-But! But what if these feelings really are mine?'

_Then I'll simply take them from you._

I felt no hostility from her, but I knew deep in my gut that she was completely serious. The only reason she was acting so calm and mature about this was that she had made up her mind and was sticking to her plan. If, by the time Sarafu and I finally seperated, these feelings still lingered she would not hesitate to kill me. My mouth felt dry so I walked out of my room to find a water fountain, instead, I found a Sai.

"I came to pick you up again," she smirked.

My throat was getting dryer and hoarser by the second. "I know my way to the training grounds, Sai," I grumbled.

"Oh, you won't be training today," Sai perked. "The Kazekage has booked you up for the day. I'm to take you to the arranged meeting point."

I narrowed my eyes. She hasn't tried anything so far, but that still doesn't mean I trust her. "Fine, let's go."

I briskly tugged at the hem of my shirt to straighten out the wrinkles and then strode past her. She smiled and followed on ahead.

I was led to a tranquil forest next to a bubbling river and water fall. I looked around, but there was no Gaara to be found.

"Hey, where's G-" I asked Sai, however a hand to my neck cut me off. I struggled as Sai lifted me off my feet single-handedly by the neck.

_Misa!_

"You're so stupid!" She laughed evilly. "To follow me blindly like this! What would the Kazekage want that would take up the whole day? He's too busy on his own to have to bother with you! Or were you hoping that the handsome Kazekage-sama would be asking you out on a date?" She threw me down onto the grass.

"Wha-" I coughed but Sai continued her evil monlogueing.

"You're an eyesore, Misa!" Sai pointed an accusing finger at me. "You're such an immature brat, thinking you can steal Gaara-sama away from me!"

_That bitch!_

"So you were after Gaara!" I gasped out, standing up. My breathing had returned to normal.

"Yes!" Sai declared proudly. "I've been eyeing him for a while now. I know its a little bold of me to target the Kazekage, but I prefer bigger fish. And you," her smile changed to a frown, "are a thorn in my side, and eyesore, a nuisance, a nobody. You only hold the great Gaara-sama back! You're so useless! Not even worthy of being a ninja!"

She had struck home. I had nothing against that.

_Yes, you do! You said it to me yourself: You're just a beginner! And for a beginner you're doing very well! I'd even go so far as to call you a genius. You're a very quick learner, Misa. _

'Thanks, Sarafu.'

"And now, I plan to get rid of you once and for all," Sai's haughty voice interrupted our conversation. I snapped back to see her advancing on me. She was drawing closer and I could see the bloodlust in her eyes. I knew I was no challenge for her, yet I couldn't help my reaction.

"NOOOO!!!" I screamed as I flung my hands forward, pushing against her chest and shoving her away from me.

I froze and slowly turned towards Sai. She looked back at me in surprise. We stared at each other stupidly for a while before I leapt up and felt all over chest with my hands. Or rather, I should say _his _chest.

"Y-you're...a...guy?" I gasped, staring at Sai in awe.

"So you finally figured it out, dumbass," Sai's blank expression changed into a smirk. "You're the one who assumed I was a girl. I couldn't believe you were so stupid, so I decided to play along for a while. Guess my fun is over for a while."

"So that thing about you liking Gaara-" I raised my hopes up just to have them smashed down.

"Oh, that's true!" Sai chuckled and patted my cheek.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-YOU'RE GAY?!" I burst out, falling backwards.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," Sai smiled slyly.

_Ok, that's it. First this bi-I mean son of a bitch beats you around, and now he's declaring war against us! He is so going down!_

"You can't have Gaara!" I leapt up in righteous anger.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Sai laughed. "You better hurry to Kyousuke-sensei. You're late for training session."

On that last note, Sai disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving me there, totally pissed off. I grit my teeth and slammed my fist into my open palm. "THIS MEANS WAAAAAAAAR!!!"

I was so ticked off, that I poured all of my might and energy into trainging today that it even scared Mr. Kyo.


	11. His True Motives

**A/N: **OMG! It's 1:24 in the morning!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

WARNINGS: Cussing, rape

**His True Motives**

Over the past few weeks, I kept my eye on Sai constantly. This interferred with my training slightly, but it was a worthy sacrifice to ensure that Gaara's heart remained unswayed and his virginity safe. (Who knows when that fag could try to rape him!) During the meantime, Sarafu and I teamed together to do our best to trip up Sai's plans to get closer to Gaara. I seemed to be spending more time with Sai, but it would be more correct to say that I spent more time with Sarafu than anyone else. She was really growing on me..or in me, but little did I know on that day that her voice would change forever.

It started out redundant enough. I woke up to an explosion trap triggered by wires webbed all around my bed, but I easily avoided them and disarmed the trap. Sai set these up each day and night in my room. I had become an expert at avoiding traps. I got dressed, packed in some kunai, and headed out the door to meet Sai and his usual gloating.

"I see you slept well," Sai smiled that sly smile of his.

"No thanks to you," I smied sweetly back, despite the sourness of my voice.

"Whatever do you mean?" Sai feignbed innonce.

I let him off since there was no need to proove him wrong to himself if we both already knew it. Making wise cracks at each other the whole way, we bickered into the Hokage's office where the two kages along with Shizune and Temari staring at us.

"You two are rather friendly this morning," Temari chuckled.

"LIKE HELL!" "Pssh! Unlikely."

We flicked our heads at each other and glared. "What do you mean by that?" we yelled simultaneously.

Temari sighed and shook her head, choosing to ignore us for the remainder of the little meeting. Tsunade, however, wasn't one to simply ignore.

"Ok, let's start this thing-Sai get off of Gaara now or-Misa! Put that kunai away! No fighting in my office! There, now as I was saying, the Rain Village has agreed to join us in our pursuit of Akatsuki, however, rumors of Akatsuki are appearing all over the continent. We have no specific place to focus our attack. Gaara, do you have any words on this?"

Everyone turned to the red-head to see his answer. He was quiet but then spoke up. "We make peace trips the neutral and allying countries seeing who is with us and who is against us, first. Once we know that, we can all formulate a plan and set up spies everywhere."

Tsunade nodded. "That's a sound plan. Who will make these peace trips?"

"We will," Temari stepped in. "We were hoping to use Konoha as a sort of headquarters to gather all the troops together when necessary. The Fire Country is large and powerful, and its also not surrounded by any other countries. It's a good spot to set up home base."

"I see you have been giving this a lot of thought," Tsunade smiled, leaning back in her chair. "I have no ojections to Konoha being headquarters, however, I advise against using it as a focal point for all of our troops. It will be too obvious to the enemy, and I don't want them focusing their attack on my city."

"Of course," Gaara nodded. "That's what any kage would want. Well then, for now, Misa and I will make trips through the countries to gather allies."

"What?" The chorus rang from many voices, one being Sai's.

"But Gaara, what about me?" Temari oppossed. "I want to go with you!"

"No, you must help Kankurou to run the village in my absence."

"But Gaara-"

"Temari!" Gaara snapped. "That is an order from your kage."

The sandy haired girl went rigid then grudgingly obliged. Sometimes she forgot that her little brother was the Kazekage.

Meanwhile, I was still relishing in the fact that I was going to be _alone _with Gaara for the whole trip. Sure, we'd have to go to boring political meetings, but the moments in between were full of opportunities!

_For what, may I ask you?_

'Don't ask if you can read my mind.'

_You know I don't like this!_

'What do you mean? We get to spend time with Gaara!'

_That's not what I meant. I don't like you thinking those thoughts about him._

'They're your thoughts too.'

_Yeah, but you need to learn when not to cross the line. _

I _humphed! _her and look to my right to find a greatly depressed and almost angry Sai. No doubt he was jealous that I got to spend all that time with Gaara! Ha! I'm in Sand and you're in Leaf, so naturally I'd be the better choice for Gaara!

We all filed out of the Hokage's office as Tsunade dismissed us. Temari and Sai, gloomy, me, ecstatic, Gaara, same as usual. Did anything ever please this guy? I met up with Mr. Kyo to squeeze in the last bit of training we could get. I couldn't deny that I would miss that guy. He was so silly.

"You've really progressed, Misa," Mr. Kyo said to me at the end of a long day. "I think its safe to let you go off on your own now. You're in the high ranks of the genin now! However, to battle Akatsuki, you'll need to surpass the rank of jounin and maybe even ANBU just to survive. So don't do anything stupid and fight Akatsuki alone. At least have Gaara with you. Promise me?"

"I promise!" I saluted my sensei in a military-like manner, which made Mr. Kyo laugh.

"And to celebrate I got you a little 'graduation' gift," he said as he handed me two clothy blue circles.

I removed the cloth to find a strange and peculiar weapon. I was like a sword, but it had been fold over to form a circle. It was delicately made and the most beautiful piece of weaponry I'd ever seen.

"These are the Moon Chakram," Mr. Kyo explained to me. "They gain powers by the moon, so it should be at their peak performance by moonlight. These may not be very affective against the Moon Dragon, but for Earth dwellers, you'll be undefeatable! They act like a boomerang and will spin back to you, so be careful when you throw them. And also, a hint, use your chakra to control their path. It will ensure accuracy, and with the all the training I've given you, you should be excellent!"

"Wow! Thanks, Mr. Kyo!" I reached up and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, and here's your parting gift since you're leaving tomorrow," he pulled out a little pouch. "These are soldier pills. They'll give you the strength to fight for three days straight and give you an unbelievable amount of chakra. Use them wisely, however, because I only gave you twenty."

"I will!" I nodded my head quickly and eagerly grabbed the pouch. I felt just as excited as if it were Christmas morning. I pocketed the pouch and then looked up at my sensei, knowing it would be the last time I'd probably ever see him again. We relished in each others company before Mr. Kyo finally broke the silence.

"You be sure to come back safe and sound when you run out of those soldier pills," his lower lip was quivering. "I'll be sure to-sniff-give you some more, alright?"

"Ok," I smiled and hugged the blonde-headed man.

"Oooooh-waaaaaaahh!" he wailed as he tightened his grip on me and tears fell into my hair.

"Ok, Mr. Kyo-you're choking me!" I gasped as he finally released me. "Well, I gotta go now. I need my rest for tomorrow's journey."

"Yes, yes," Mr. Kyo sniffed, shooing me along. "Get going then. Bye!"

"Bye!"

I walke away from his sobbing visage, slightly relieved yet slightly saddened.

'I never knew he was so sensitive.'

_Oh yeah._

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was strolling down a tree-lined path when an eerie wind blew around me. I felt a chill and turned around to find Sai in a whirl of leaves. He seemed different, but still Sai.

"What do you want?" I scoffed, continuing on my way.

"You," Sai muttered softly, but loud enough for me to hear.

I flicked around to interrogate him, but I was blinded by a wall of leaves. I stared in stunned silence for a while, before my body went numb and I fell into his waiting arms.

'What's this? I can't move my body?'

_It's some sort of genjustu! Shit!_

"Misa," Sai spoke softly but coldly. "I'm a liar. I've been lying to you from the moment we met. I am a man, but Gaara is not the one I've been targeting."

'What?'

"It's you."

"B-but...you..." I struggled to move my mouth despite the powerful genjutsu laid upon me.

"You asked if I was gay, and I said yes. Gay originally means happy, so I was not lying there. I never stated that I was homosexual. You merely assumed that was what I meant. However, I have been intentionally seeming to be flirting with Gaara to aggrivate you so that you would closer to me, even if it was to kill me. But our parting is drawing near, and I at least want to steal some part of you from him, if I can't have all of you."

"Wha...?" Before I knew it, the secenery changed from a serene tree-lined path to a dark bedroom. I only assumed it was a bedroom, but the only thing in there was a bed. No other furniture, and only one window. I The room moved around as I was flung onto the bed and my limp body flopped around. Sai was quick. Next thing I knew, my hands were tied to the bed post.

"Just in case my jutsu wears off before I'm done," he explained and then the gravity of the situation dawned on me.

'No, he's not gonna-'

_Dammit! This body won't budge! That genjutsu is too strong!_

My heart wasn't numbed by the jutsu cause it was beating frantically against my chest to get out, even it was scared. Sai crawled on top of me, looking down at me with lustful, yet cold eyes. "If I can't have all of you, then I'll at least have your virginity." He slowly moved his fingers to the hem of my shirt.

'No! What is he doing?!'

_Misa! You don't have to endure this! _

'What?'

_You don't have to endure this! _

I couldn't figure out what she meant by that because the next thing I knew, Sarafu's conciousness blacked me out, and the last thing I remeber is the feel of Sai removing my shirt.


	12. Pain

**A/N: **This is my first time incorporating lyrics into a story. I've seen it done many times, but never found a moment where it truly belonged. So here's where we found out what happened! Enjoy, my fine fellows.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...sadly.

WARNINGS: Cussing, leud talk

**_Lyrics -Not heard by others-_**

_Sarafu's words_

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Pain**

I woke up in my room not knowing the happenings of the night proceeding. I stared at my sheets blankly recalling the day all up into the point where I encountered Sai. SAI!

'Sarafu! Sarafu! What happened?! Sarafu!'

There was no response.

'Sarafu! Sarafu!!!'

Silence.

I quickly leapt out of bed, frantic. The motion brought forth a stinging sensation to may face, shoulders and legs. I felt terrible. I went over to the mirror on my dresser and nearly fell back onto my bed. On my face was a bruise on my left brow two cuts on my cheek and crusted blood on my forehead. I checked my shoulder. Sure enough, an ugly purple and brown bruise welcomed me. Same on my leg along with a few scars. But that was nothing compare to the pain in between my legs. This wasn't helping my breathing problems.

'Sarafu! What the hell happened!?'

Silence.

Tears were welling up in my eyes. I dashed out of my room, not even bothering to close the door after me. This time, there was no Sai there to greet me.

I found Gaara on his way to the Hokage building. I was even granted a widening of the eyes when he saw me beaten up and still in my pajamas.

"Misa...?"

"Gaara! Help!" I gasped through sobs, trying to catch my voice. "I can't hear Sarafu's voice! She won't answer me!"

That got his attention. "What?" He grabbed my soldiers which screamed in anger. I screamed along with them. Gaara realeased me. "What happened to you? Were you limping befo-" He fell silent as the injuries spoke of what happened. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't know for sure," I muttered quietly. "The last thing I remember is Sai tying me to a bedpost and Sarafu saying 'You don't have to endure this.' over and over again." My muscle went rigid. My gawd, what an idiot I was! I fell to my knees, didn't help the pain down below, tears were unleashed at full power now. "Oh my...Sarafu she...she thinks this is all her fault. She still feels guilty about bringing me into the ninja world. If she had never done that, I never would've met Sai, and then he never would've...OH, Sarafu! She endured it for me! This may be my body, but I didn't suffer through it." I leeched onto Gaara's sleeves looking up into his eyes. "Sarafu was raped, Gaara! Sai raped her! She took my place!"

I didn't see Gaara's reaction. He calmly cradled me in his arms as I bawled my eyes out and he led me to the Hokage's office. Needless to say, they were stunned. He only uttered three words, as his vengeful tails of sand lashed about him like angry snakes hissing at Tsunade. "Bring me Sai."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all_**

"Has she calmed down?" the blonde-haired woman asked as she looked out the window.

"Yeah," was the stressed reply from the red-head.

"Have you calmed down?"

"Somewhat."

"Any sign of Sarafu?"

"...no."

_**You're sick of feeling numb  
You're not the only one  
I'll take you by the hand**_

_**And I'll show you a world that you can understand**_

Tsunade sighed as she walked to another window. She just couldn't keep still. The comfort of her luxurious arm chair would be a joy unkown to her today.

"Are you angry at me?" She asked him, still not looking at his face.

"No."

"If you had killed him, we would have some serious issues on our hands, since he is a legal resident of Konoha."

"I know."

"He will still be tried as a criminal. I doubt he'll get the death penalty, but I'll ensure life in prison."

"I know."

"You're mad at me."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"I SAID I'M NOT, OKAY?!" He snapped, but then sat back down, disgruntled.

Tsunade was unaffected by his outburst. "Whoever knew you felt so strongly for her. Is it Sarafu or Misa?"

"Old hag, don't torture me today," Gaara sighed, his head in his hands.

**_This life is filled with hurt  
When happiness doesn't work  
Trust me and take my hand  
When the lights go out you will understand_  
**

"I'm sorry, but this is for Sarafu, when she decides to come back," the Hokage finally looked over to the depressed boy. "I don't need to tell you that she loved-loves you. She'll be even more eager to get her body back when she hears that you'll be waiting for he-"

"SHUT UP!" Gaara stood up again, the black lines around his eyes deeper than ever. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I MISS HER!!" He breathed after letting it out. Then he calmed himself down to his normal stoic self. "Leave me be, for today."

"Gaara," Tsunade was no longer smiling. She was serious. "Hold her, and never let her go."

"I don't need you to tell me that," he added as he walked out of the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sand-haired teen peeked through the crack in the door. She sighed and then looked back at the crimson hair that was her younger brother.

"She still hasn't moved from that spot," Temari informed the stoic Kazekage. "I'm afraid to go in there. Last time I went in there to give her some food, she flipped out, throwing kunai and anything else she could get her hands on. She's become more attached to Sarafu than we all thought. But where could that girl have gone? What happened with Sai?"

"That's something I'd like to know also," Gaara frowned, turning away. "Tell me when you see a change."

"Wait, Gaara you're not going t-" Temari began, but Gaara's hand quieted her.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize the treaty. He will live."

Temari didn't voice her thoughts. Merely watched as her kage left the hallway, then turned back to the dark room where Misa sat, sulking. Please return, Sarafu, she thought.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough**_

_**'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all**_

Light intruded into his cell. He looked up, his dark eyes glazed with a soft glow. The sillouhette was rather short, yet it held a dignified air of a leader. He had been expecting him.

He's later than I expected him to be, Sai thought. I figured I'd be dead by now. Yet he seems perfectly calm. Maybe he held less feelings for her than I thought.

The boy in black held no reaction for the boy in red who also held no reaction. They stared at each other in silence, both expert weilders of the poker face.

**_Anger and agony  
Are better than misery  
Trust me I've got a plan  
When the lights go off you will understand_  
**

"What happened?" the Kazekage interrogated.

"Haven't you already heard?" Sai snorted. Not a good move. His neck was soon enclosed in sand.

"Explain thoroughly what happened," Gaara was calm, but his sand was growling. "I want to know _exactly_ what you did to her."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Misa. _

I nearly leapt out of my skin. It felt like forever since I'd heard that voice.

'Sarafu?'

_Yes._

Yes. I don't believe I've ever heard her say that word. Yes was too formal, too uptight for her. She was more of a 'yeah' kinda gal.

'Where were you? What happened?'

_Sorry, I was exhausted. I couldn't even think straight, which was probably why you couldn't sense me. I apologize. _

First 'yes', now 'I apologize.' Is this the same girl? Is this Sarafu?

_**Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all**_

'Where did these scars come from? What happened?'

_Well..._

"After I paralyzed her with genjutsu, I brought her to my apartment," Sai began. "I tied her to the bed just in case the jutsu wore off."

_While he removed my-your-our clothes, I worked on fighting the jutsu. I delved within our body and regulated the mind so that it was ack to normal. His genjutsu fooled the mind into forgetting how to use the nerves to send messages to our muscles. I merely retaught it._

"I was working on the foreplay when she broke through my jutsu," Sai continued on, remembering those moments almost with fondness. It was hard to regret what he had done. It felt so good. "Luckily I had the ropes, but she kept spazing out, kicking screaming, flailing about. Her freaking out was going to get me caught so I...hit her."

_**Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing  
Rather feel pain**_

_He tried to beat me down. I must admit, fear drove me on the most. Even if it was your body, I still shared it, and since I was the one awake...experiencing it, it was my virginity at stake, and that belongs only to Gaara! However..._

"We fought for a while, her kicking, scratching, biting, and me holding her down, slapping her, punching her. I was so frightened about getting caught that I was angry at her for messing up my plan. My anger got a hold of me. I forgot everything, even my initial reason it doing this, and only thought of causing her pain, just making her shut up."

_**I know (I know I know I know I know)  
That you're wounded  
You know (You know you know you know you know)  
That I'm here to save you  
You know (You know you know you know you know)  
I'm always here for you**_

_**I know (I know I know I know I know)  
That you'll thank me later**_

_He eventually tied my legs down also, and gagged me, so that I couldn't move an inch or utter a sound. I could only whimper and cry. At this point, I was in the nude..._

"So, I finished what I came here to do," Sai smirked at the memory. Misa did have a _nice _body. "I put my sword in her sheath and fucked her till she passed out and far after that. She bled quite a lot. That was annoying to clean up, but it was so worth it." Sai chuckled at his little joke, but earned a tight squeeze of his neck from the sand for all his efforts.

"You..." Gaara growled, his red locks covering his eyes. "You...how dare you laugh at her pain...I should kill you right now for what you did...but..." His sand fell from Sai's neck and slinked back into his gourd, "that would just cause more problems for Sa-Misa and I. I simply hope Konoha's justice system works."

"Do you expect me to grubble at your mercy?" Sai quirked a thin eyebrow.

"No, I expect you to rot in hell, bastard," Gaara spat at Sai's face, and since the boy was chained to the wall, Gaara knew he could do nothing to harm him. However, if he remained here any longer, he would surely kill that pale fiend. So he strode out of the cell.

_**Pain, without love  
Pain, can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all**_

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Gaara reached Misa's room at 11:53 that night. He found Temari dozing off at her post by the door. The young teen opened the door a noch and peeked inside. Misa was sitting on her bed, staring at the floor as if in deep thought. Gaara let out a sigh of relief. Deep thought was better than lifeless stupor. Suddenly, Misa snapped awake and looked over straight at Gaara.

"Ah! Gaara-sama!" She shouted with delight and ran over to him all smiles. "She's back! She's back!"

This caught Gaara by surprise. He nearly let a smile escape. _Nearly._ Instead, he rolled his eyes and said nonchalantly, "Oh? The idiot came back? What a bummer. Party's over, I guess."

"_Hey, what kind of attitude is that, jerk?_" Sarafu shouted through Misa. "_You could at least pretend you're happy to see me back!_"

"I don't need to pretend," Gaara spoke seriously.

"_What?! Are you saying-_"

'Sarafu, I think he means that he doesn't need to pretend to be happy, because he _is _happy.'

"_Oh._"

"Go to sleep," Gaara ordered. "You'll need rest for the trip tomorrow. This fiasco put us back a day, no thanks to some individual whom I shall not name."

Misa's eyebrow twitched as she watched the boy leave her room. "_Heartless demon. Awww, but he's so cute when he acts so cold and mean like that!! Hanyaaaann!!_"

**_Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Rather feel pain_**


	13. Persuading Shibuki

**A/N: **Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It's all of those that inspire me to keep this going! Thank you all!

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters.

**Persuading Shibuki**

The delicious odor of fried fish tickled my nose while my eyes coveted the burning animal's flesh. A beast within me growled in protest and my mouth roared like a waterfall, and salivated like one too.

"Can I eat it yet?" I pleaded.

"No, they're not done," Gaara aggrivatedly told me again as he irritated our food. "If you seriously can't wait, then eat the riceballs I made you."

"If you insist!" I chimed happily as I tossed the white ball into my eager mouth.

_Whoever knew Gaara was such a great cook?_

'It's nice having two souls in one body. Double the satisfaction.'

_Double the hunger, also._

"Here; it's done now," Gaara handed me the fish on a stick and I wasted no time in sinking my teeth into it.

Gaara and I have been traveling for the past day to the Waterfall village where we planned to persuade the kage there to join forces with us against Akatsuki.

_Waterfall...I wonder if Jin's there. Tsunade said he left a long time ago._

'Who's Jin?'

_Jin Nakagawa. He was in my team with Hinako. Self-taught ninja and a boy genius who graduated from the Academy in one day. He's totally full of himself and very bratty, but he's the closest thing to a little brother I've had. He also became leader of the one and only Ninja Mafia. _

'Why would ninjas become a mafia? Is there a real difference.'

_Not really, that's just their name. They're a bunch of rejected ninjas who've left their village, but are no where near as powerful as Akatsuki. I bet even you could beat them._

''Even'?'

_No offense, but you suck. _

'Offense taken.'

I scarfed down the remaining morsel of fish and packed up to start heading out again. Gaara was rather quite during the trip, but that didn't bother me. I have Sarafu to chat away the hours.

'Have you ever been to the Waterfall Village?'

_Once. It was on the way to the Mt. Hokkaido in the Rock Village. Jin is originally from this village. He's an orphan and was poor when we first met, but a scammer at the same time. I found him in a town nearby and unwillingly agreed to take him with me until he found a home. He ended up staying until both Hinako and I left. _

'I feel sorry for him.'

_Why?_

'Even though he was ahead of the game, he was always left behind by you two. He must've felt so lonely. You guys were his sole friends in the world and you didn't even pay him a second thought.'

I could feel Sarafu's guilt gnawing away at my insides. I should remember that I feel the exact same things as she does and restrain on causing us _both_ pain.

"We're here," Gaara intruded our thoughts, causing me to look up from the ground we tred on.

Before me was a massive waterfall and the roar of the white foam was so loud I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before. The waterfall poured out into the river in which the Kazekage and I had been following up until this point. There was a grassy belt surrounding the river which soon metamorphed into a thin woods. I searched around but found no sign of civilization and definitely no sign of a hidden ninja village.

_As you said, its a _hidden_ village. _

"Follow me," Gaara ordered as he walked towards the waterfall and to my surprise walked _behind_ it.

I followed my kage and found that the waterfall was a covering for a cave, the entrance to the waterfall Village. The walk lasted only a few minutes. The rocky walls fell away to reveal a sparkling lake with a massive tree growing in the middle of its clear waters. Surrounding the lake were modest homes and buildings, some were even so humble as to be labeled huts. Despite the obvious poverty of the small town, it examplified peace and the enjoyment of small things. I immeadiately felt some partiality for this small village.

My redheaded guide led through the streets of the town. I'm not sure if it was our appearance or the fact that we were unfamiliar, but gaping faces and curious eyes littered our way. They didn't appear afraid, (It's not like the locked up their doors and barred their windows.) merely inquisiturient. We finally halted at the tallest building in the village. Like the other buildings, it was made of wood and in red paint the word 'Kage Office' was painted across a wooden plank above the entrance. Unlike the other buildings, however, it boasted a whole seven stories high and held a blue flage with the village symbol painted in red on it. It seems this was the only color paint the village had.

The Kazekage strode boldly into the building and into the lobby. We were met with a young man who appeared to be in his late twenties, but was rather thin and looked quite frail. He had this fidgety aura about him, but he didn't budge an inch. He sported a simple grey robe with a green belt and worn sasami sandals. His long brown hair was uneven and unkempt and rested lazily on his back as if it were sleeping. Contrasting his dull attire, his black eyes were crisp and sparkling with youth. He had a bright and open look about his posture, however and smiled warmly.

"You're not from this village, are you?" He inquired of us, hands on his hips. "It's been a while since we've had visitors to our humble village. We mostly get mission requests through mail. Are you here to hire ninja?"

"No, but you're not far off," Gaara replied coolly. "I request a meeting with the kage of this village, please."

"Your request has already been granted!" the man smiled happily. "I am Shibuki, the Takikage!"

"I am Misa," I spoke up, feeling left out and forgotten. "And this is the Kazekage, Gaara-sama!"

"The Kazekage?!" Shibuki shouted in astonishment.

"Yes," Gaara continued calmly. "I came here to speak of the advent of an ominous event."

"And what would that event be?" Shibuki inquired.

Before Gaara could speak, a bloody man stumbled into the room, looking as if he had been beaten with an ugly stick, literally. Shibuki gawked at him in horror, frozen in place.

"Sh-shibu...ki-sa..ma," the man struggled to get the words out. "The village has been...attacked. They cl-claim to be...f-from Suna!"

Shibuki turned to us in shock and we looked just as shocked.

"This can't be!" I immeadiatly came to our defense. "All of the Suna nins are in the Rain Village!"

We ran outside to see for ourselves, and sure enough, the village was in flames. Millions of ninjas with the Suna head band attacked the helpless villagers. However, I didn't recognize a single one of them.

"Who the hell are you guys and what do you want with this village?" I shouted at them.

One of the men stopped tourching the place to laugh at me. "Kazekage-sama," he addressed Gaara. "Your will is done."

Shibuki turned to Gaara in horror, completely misunderstanding the situation, to my distraughtness. Pissed at how the whole situation was going down hill, I unhook my chakrams from my belt and chunked them at the laughing man. Although I hadn't been quite accustomed to them yet, they hit their mark, and the man exploded in a little cloud of smoke, and his laughter changed from a deep male voice, to a high female voice and my weapons came spinning back into my hands.

_I know that voice. Hinako._

I looked over to Gaara and the angry Shibuki. 'Well, if she meant t pit us against each other, she succeeed.'


	14. Harmonizing

**A/N: **I can't wait for the anime to catch up to the manga! squee Well, R&R!

WARNINGS: Cussing

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or any of its Characters.

**Harmonizing**

Hot wind oppressed me as I ran through the conflagration despite the Kazekage's protests. I knew punishment awaited me upon myreturn, but I only thought of proving Suna's innocence and kicking that damn Hinako's ass!

_When did you gain such a potty mouth?_

'Shut up! You know you're pissed too!'

_Well, yeah, she's framed Gaara, but that's no reason to gain such a foul mouth!_

That shrill laughter rang through the woods in which I pursued Hinako. The Waterfall Village lay far behind us, the glowing smoke signalin to everyone the destruction that had taken place. Finally, we stopped abruptly at a clearing and Hinako faced me, smirking in her sphinxy way.

"Uchiha Hinako!" I called out to her. "Your life ends here!"

"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow and vanished.

I gasped as I discovered her hand on my shoulder and her mouth whispering in my ear. "I think you have it switched around."

I jumped forward and twirled around, my chakram immeadiately in hand, but Hinako was unfazed by my glare. I thrust my weapons with all my might, their round blades spinning with great speed. Hinako didn't budge an inch, simply stuck her finger up at the precise moment till she had the silver blades spinning round her finger.

She yawned lethargically. "Just because I'm a newbie doesn't mean they have to give me such crappy missions."

I stiffened, half in fright, half in anger. 'She caught them as if they were nothing!'

_She understands something you do not._

'Like what?'

"What an ugly weapon," Hinako tossed my chakrams into a tree. "Held by an ugly weilder. I pitty them. Even weapons as ugly as that deserve a better weilder than you. You toss them around retardedly. Such an ugly girl."

"What?!" I recoiled at the bombardment of insults I had just suffered.

"So you're deaf too?" Hinako sighed. "I said you were ugly, grotesque, distasteful. You're so common and bleak I want to hurl."

"Take that back!" I shouted, feeling the sting of her mockery in my eyes, I charged, fist first.

The Uchiha simply pushed my fist to the side and smacked me in the back of the neck with the side of her hand. I could feel the ricochet of the blow through out my body and lay paralyzed on the grass. Hinako slammed her foot into my back and ground her toe into my spine.

"You're not even worth killing," she spat viciously.

I could feel the weight on my back lift away and knew that she had teleported herself somewhere else. I didn't lift myself however. I breathed sharply as my tears watered the grass, and Hinako's words echoed in my mind.

_Do you want to know what it is you don't understand?_

'Yeah.'

_When you hold the chakrams, you merely think of them as a weapon, a hunk of metal to chunk at someone. To you, they feel heavy. No matter what the weapon, you must view it as an extension of yourself. You are not a weapon, and it is most certainly not a weapon. You are one being and you both wish to do someone harm. It's just like you and me. We cannot be opposing forces if we are to fight with our full potential. You cannot oppose your weapon, you must work together and treat it as if it were apart of yourself. Would you carelessly toss your arm at someone?_

'No.'

_Then don't just throw your weapon at your enemy. Throw your whole being at them. Remember why you're fighting, and envision that reason everytime you move in battle. _

'Wow. You give surprisingly good advice.'

_Well, when you die you meet a lot of people._

'I should probably et back to Gaara-sama and help in proving our innocence to the Takikage.'

_That would be better than crying on the ground._

The fires had been stifled by the time I returned, but the fire's in people's hearts had not been extenguished. The angry villagers of Takigakure surounded Gaara who remained impassive.

"You have come here to destroy us, haven't you?" Shibuki interrogated Gaara, who didn't answer.

"We will not stand-by after what you've done to our village!" somone from within the crowd shouted and others chimed in with angry yells.

"Down with Suna!"

"Kill the Kazekage!

"Wait!" I shouted as I jumped over the crowd and landed next to Gaara. "We were framed! We came here on a peace mission! Not to destroy the village! We wouldn't waste our time attacking this place anyway!"

"What?!" the villagers waved their weapons in the air, begging for blood.

"You're not helping," Gaara growled in a low voice at me.

"We really didn't do it!" I pleaded to the blood thirsty mob. "We were framed by Akatsuki! They want to pit all of the countries against each other! We came here to make a truce! Not to destroy you! We didn't attack you!"

"It's useless," Gaara sighed. "They don't care if we did it or not. They simply want to make someone suffer their revenge. I'm sorry, for the trouble you have suffered. We will take our leave now."

"Do you think we'll let you leave that easily?" the crowd closed in on the group.

I kneed one guy in the stomach who was coming at Gaara with a pitchfork and kicked another in the face from the opposite end. I tossed a woman over my shoulder and punched another in the face. The crowd got the point and backed off.

"That was unnecessary, Misa," Gaara told me even though he didn't budge an inch.

"I needed to vent out some frustration," I smirked, proud of my moves.

Gaara walked forward towards the gate to the village, glares lining his path. Misa followed him and glared bck at everyone like a gaurd dog, until they were outside of the village.

"Another town leveled by Akatsuki," I sighed. "If we don't hurry, they might get the Grass Village, too."

"We'll get them by then," Gaara promised as we headed through the woods. "Until then, Sarafu, I want you to train Misa. We have nearly two days walk there."

I nodded for Sarafu an tredded a little slower behind Gaara to focus on Sarafu as we traveled.

_Since we were just on the subject, let's work on harmonizing with your weapon. First, to speed things up, I want you to create as many clones as you can._

'Why?'

_When you create clones, create another you, that has the exact same tributes, although it splits up your chakra, it still can retain the information an when it is undone, you still hold all of the information. It's like training for 50 days in five minutes. Understand?_

'Sort of.'

I put my hands together and spoke aloud. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Little white clouds of smoke exploded around me and I stared at nearly 50 other Misa's.

_I hope you cloned your weapon, too._

'Of course.'

_Good, then I want you to do strokes with your weapon the entire way there. _

'Strokes? Like Kanji?'

_No! You doofus! I wan you to swing it back and forth as if you were attacking someone right in front of you and never let go! Do not throw it. You must get used to the feel of it in your hands. Also, you need to give it a name. It will help with the mental part of the training. _

'A name? How about...Luna?'

_Really? That's a rather girly name._

'Well, its because Mr. Kyo called them the Moon Chakram, I didn't want to call out 'Moon' everytime so I thought Luna was prettier. Besides, it's a girl.'

_You already gave it a gender? Good job! You're going to be a natural at this!_

'Thanks!'

_Now get to work._


	15. Race to Kusa

**A/N: **I apologize for the long wait. The advent of summer has made me giddy and I haven't been able to concentrate on my stories. Here's the next chapter for you!

**Race to Kusa**

The wind blew increasingly harder, causing the fields of green spears to ripple. I felt as thought I was wading in a green sea, the end unsure. The vast plain didn't compare to my ego right now.

"How am I now?" I questioned both Gaara and Sarafu, twirling Luna between my fingers expertly as if I was born this way.

'_Wow! You really are a natural at this! If you weren't a beginner, I'd call you a genius. It's almost as if you were fated to be a ninja.' _

"You have improved," Gaara admitted. "Let's see how you fare in battle."

"I hope we won't find out soon," Misa sighed.

Excluding Konoha, every village that the duo had visited was attacked by Akatsuki. The only member they ever found at the crime scene was Uchiha Hinako. Had she been the sole perpetrator to level these proud ninja villages?

After some miles, the endless prairie ceased, and short flats and other one to two story buildings stood proudly in front of the travelers. The town bustled loudy and sported a good size. (Nowhere near Konoha or Suna, but still fairly large.) However, this town, we soon ascertained, was not Kusa. Friendly locals informed us that we were currently located in Shuzoku, a post town a few miles off of Kusa's border.

"Should we keep going?" I questioned my kage.

"Regularly, I would urge the utmost haste, however," He held the bottom of his empty bag to reveal the nothingness that it held, "we require provisions. We've already eaten breakfast, however, I don't think we can last until lunch."

My stomach growled in agreement. "Let's find a cheap resteraunt and then buy some groceries."

Gaara nodded, and we searched the open streets. Our eyes and our stomachs soon rested upon an open grille. The savory smell of cooked meat lured us toward the front of the booth, a few decorative strands of cloth hanging from the low ceiling as a make shift wall. An ivory hand pushed the decorations away to make way for the albino head. Cold onyx eyes stared back into our shocked aqua and hazel ones.

"Oh? You've arrived here already?" Hinako mused in a bored matter. "I must've lingered too long at that public bath."

"W-W-What the hell are you doing here?!" I shouted, jumping back and pointing an appalled finger at her.

"I'm obviously on my way to destroy the Grass Village, stupid," Hinako gave me the condescending look a mother gives her child when it asks her "why?"

"Like we'll let you!" I shouted as I moved to grab my chakram, however, Hinako was behind me in a flash; a single hand held my wrists behind my back.

Hinako frowned and glanced over to the steadfast Gaara. Her hand was covered in sand just as fast as she had grabbed my hands. She smirked and released my hands, as did the sand release her. "You can stop me from destroying the village...only if you can catch me!" She dashed down the street at an unimaginable rate.

"Hey, wait!" I called out to her. My foot pressed against the ground to send me flying after her. Gaara sighed just before he followed after us. The race was on.

My heart throbbed in my head as I saw the buildings of the Grass Village in the distance. With nothing but a grassy plain to hinder Hinako's progress. Sarafu urged me to pick up the pace, but I was already running as fast as my noodle legs could handle. I looked extremely out of shape compared to Hinako. I really was no match for her, but that didn't mean I could give up.

The Uchiha wasn't too far ahead of me, in fact, she was within my attack range. I grabbed a couple of shuriken and held them between each of my fingers and then flung them at her with my whole being, just as I would with Luna. It appeared as if they were going to hit her, but then her image wavered, I blinked and realized that she had dodged it at such a speed that there was an afterimage. I managed to let out a scream just before Hinako smacked me into the ground. I crashed head first. However, I couldn't rest there. Hinako pulled me up by my chestnut hair.

"You really want to die don't you?" she glared at my pain-stricken face. "I'll grant you your wish, then." She punched me square in the nose, which sent me flying backward.

I thought I was going to fly forever, until I felt my back cushioned by some soft, yet hard substance. I opened my eyes to see myself sitting in a floating cloud of sand. Gaara calmly walked next to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"Yeah, just a broken nose, I think," I wiped the blood from my face and hopped off the sand. "I won't be caught off guard again." Luna was in my hands in a second. I was ready for any new attack now.

This amused Hinako. "You seriously think you even have a _chance_ of beating me, don't you?"

"Not really," I replied truthfully. "But I o believe that I can stop you from attack Kusa!"

"Don't make me laugh," Hinako growled as her hand began to glow an ominous white.

_Chidori._

'What's that?'

_You'll find out soon enough. Just dodge it!_

Hinako was running straight for me. My body flipped into emergency mode and I cartwheeled to the side, her sleeve just barely nicking my heel. When I was standing up right, I thrust Luna at the Uchiha. Unfortunately, she leapt into the air and they just came spinning back into my hands. However, Hinako was falling into a pile of Gaara's sand. Quickly, she pointed her palm downward and a spear of ice formed in her hand. She stabbed it into the sand and launched herself in another direction, safe from Gaara's clutches.

I smiled as an idea came to my head. Maybe we really could win this.

_Oh, clever you! Be careful though. She's no fool. _

'I know.'

I ran over to Hinako, and strategically attacked her with Luna. She easily dodged them, however, I had a trick up my sleeve. Using my chakra, I bent the chakram's path to twist around and home at the Akatsuki member while she was in midair. Hinako saw my sneaky attack, and blasted my weapon with her ice, blowing it off course. Luna fell to the grassy ground, but I was smirking knowingly. Gaara's sand was wrapping around the Uchiha and she had no more time left to dodge it.

_Yes, we got her! _

My smile fell off of my face as sand was blasted everywhere. The very force of the explosion flung me back. I looked up threw the sandy dust cloud to see a black haired figure standing before a stunned Hinako. His cool onyx eyes looked up at Gaara and I.

_Sasuke...Uchiha._


	16. Secret's Out

**A/N: **Sorry for the late chapter, guys, but my computer was being...difficult. It wouldn't even turn on for the past week! Well, this chapters, almost a filler chapter, but the next one will be awesome, I promise! We finally get to see how truly powerful Sarafu has gotten after gaining all that "wisdom" from being in limbo.

**Secret's Out**

The young man in the white robes stared as coldly and unemotionally at us as Gaara did them. His companions soon followed. There was a young woman with long black hair and glasses, followed by a creepy looking man with shoulder length hair and a large broad sword strapped to his back.

"Yo, Sasuke, what was with running off like that?" the man asked him as he ran up to the Uchiha. He stopped as he noticed the others.

"B-brother?" Hinako gaped up at Sasuke who stood before her.

Sasuke slowly turned his head. "It's been a while, Hinako."

'What the crap is going on? This isn't the same guy that stabbed you in the chest back at Orochimaru's headquarters, was it?'

_Yes. That was the Chidori that did that to me. But why is he here? I never would've guessed that Orochimaru would've let him travel here, so far. And who are those other two? I've never seen them._

I glanced over to Gaara. He didn't look very happy.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he muttered. "What brings you here? Why did you protect her?"

"Why I was in the vicinity, I'd rather not say," Sasuke replied. "However, when I noticed Hinako was in danger I immeadiately ran over here. Don't get me wrong. My intentions were not sentimental. My sister has joined Akatsuki's ranks. She's a liable source to find Itachi. After I find Itachi, I don't care what happens to her."

"You're lying."

I slapped my hands over my mouth. The words had come out before I could think about them. Sasuke stared blankly at me. I had started this, so I might as well finish it.

"The whole point of you killing Itachi is to gain revenge for the genocide of your clan, correct? Hinako is of your clan. She can still revive it, although the blood will eventually dwindle. The Sharingan will continue to live as long as you two do. So, if this is all for your clan in the first place, wouldn't Hinako's life matter as well? Or is it just some pride issue that he didn't find you worth killing. You were always below your brother. If you truly do not care about Hinako's life, you are not getting revenge for your clan, but for yourself."

The corner's of his lips sunk slightly as his eyes narrowed. Those cold, onyx eyes shot fear into the depths of my body. "Who are you?"

"I am Misa of Suna!" I declared proudly. "I am Kazekage-sama's bodyguard and escort!" I gave a slight smirk of condfidence.

_Way to represent! You've even got the ninja trash talk down! However, Sasuke is not someone you want to mess with. He nearly killed me, although I am vastly more powerful now than then! _

"Why do you know so much about my past?" he calmly interrogated me.

Gaara forsaw exposure so he stepped beside me, in a protective stance. "Everyone has heard of the tragic story of Uchiha Sasuke," he explained, which was true. He couldn't, however, find out who told me. Sasuke might kill me if he found out. But was Gaara worried about me or Sarafu?

"I see," Sasuke replied blandly, as he soon lost interest in the topic. He apparantly didn't like to speak about himself too much.

"Yo, Sasuke," the long-haired boy addressed the Uchiha. "Can we get a move on? We've been walking for some time now, and with Karin yelling in my ear at every second and Orochimaru's death causing a ruckus, I dont thi-"

"What did you say?"

The words came out of my mouth, but it wasn't me who spoke them. The long-haired guy looked at me with indignation at interrupting him. "Well, if you were listening-"

"Sasuke, what did he mean by 'Orochimaru's death'?" I shouted at him. Or rather, Sarafu did. "That's rhetorical, right?"

"Listen, gal," the boy began, but it was Sasuke this time who interrupted.

"Suigetsu, silence," he held his hand out in front of the rowdy teen. "It was literal. Orochimaru is dead. I killed him."

"Heh, so you got to him before me, huh?" I was beginning to see myself. As though I had been shoved out of my own body and was looking on to the scene from an outsider's perspective. "You just destroyed my only link of getting my mother back, you bastard! What the hell have you done?!"

I blinked and then golden serpentine eyes glared back at me. Sarafu had taken over. This had become a little too personal for her.

"You're still alive, hm?" Sasuke quirked through his poker face. "Who would've thought there was two of you?"

I turned from Sasuke's stoic face to Gaara's knitted "eyebrows", to Hinako's stunned face. The secret was out.

"What happened to that little dragon of yours?" Sasuke made idle chat, despite the other party's ascending rage.

"Thanks to that punk sister of yours, I had to sacrifice it!" Sarafu spat angrily at Hinako. "After I've kicked Sasuke's ass, you're next, Hinako."

"How incompetent!" the four-eyed girl snarled as she pushed her glasses back up the slope of her nose. "Thinking she can beat _THE_ Uchiha Sasuke!"

As soon as those words escaped her glossed lips, the glistening blade of Luna was around he neck, and Sarafu was leaning on her shoulder. "You're one to talk, bitch," Sarafu growled into her ear. "You're just dead-weight to that guy. You look like a Sakura clone? All you fangirls are the same."

Since she made her point, Sarafu disappeared from the horrified glasses chick's side, and appeared in front of Sasuke, twirling Luna in each hand. Suigetsu stepped in between us. "Karin may be dead-weight, but I'm not," he pulled out the immense sword on his back. "I'll save Sasuke the trouble of killing you."

Sarafu seemed only gladdened by Suigetsu's challenge. I have never felt such bloodlust from her before. And neither has Gaara, it seems. He has a very unpleasant look on his face.

"Let me show you, Misa," Sarafu spoke out to me, without taking her eyes off of her opponent. The chakram in her hands began to glow brightly and spin faster and faster, until the were just blurs. "How to really use these babies!"

Without touching the spinning Luna, Sarafu flung her arms forward and the spinning steel flew towards Suigetsu.


	17. Return of the Dragon Queen

**A/N: **As I promised, I have delivered to you the next chapter with Sarafu vs. Suigetsu! (I must warn you, I was listening to _Requiem For A Dream_ when I wrote this.) And the stunning conclusion.

**Return of the Dragon Queen**

Gaara held this nervous, wavy energy, I could feel it. Maybe Spirits had more persception to people's souls than when in a physical form. Even though he looked calm, and almost bored, I could sense that he was extremely anxious, although I'm not quite sure why. He watched Sarafu intently, so much that it looked as if he was trying to see right through her. His seafoam eyes dashed to the left when Sarafu charged Suigetsu, and flung to the right when she dodged his attacks.

Sasuke watched the fight with boredom, but I believe his to be valid. His wavelengths were calm and level, almost as though he were asleep. The girl Karin next to him, however, looked from Gaara to Sarafu with suspicion. She wanted to see that taunting little wench get what she deserved for mocking her, however, she didn't trust how quiet and unmoving Gaara was. Surely he would attempt to help his companion in her fight?

A scream from the battle drew my attention. Luckily, it wasn't my body that had been injured. It was only Suigetsu's battle cry as he swung his sword. Sarafu easily stepped back, avoiding the tip of the blade by centimeters. However, following the humongous swing was a materialized wave of water which sent the surprised Sarafu flying back.

Amidst falling, however, Sarafu thrust Luna at Suigetsu, the spinning disasters flying straight for his face. Sarafu's attack was in vain, because Suigetsu caught each of them with his broad sword. Now that they were on his blade, Sarafu had no chance of returning them.

Her black sandals crunched the smooth piers of grass as she landed from Suigetsu's attack. She noticed her predicament, but her frown soon lifted into a smile as she noticed something.

_Mr. Kyo, you are good! _

I flinched when I heard Sarafu's voice. Although I was floating above my very own body, we still held some sort of link.

'What? What does he have to do with any of this?'

_There's Kuchran in the metal. It's a mineral that acts as a chakra magnet._

'How does that help us?'

_Watch._

I saw myself lift my left hand slowly, palm facing the curious Suigetsu. Slowly the chakrams began to glow white and theybegan to spin quickly. They flew off of Suigetsu's sword and orbited Sarafu like planets in fast motion.

"This gives me an idea," she chuckled to herself just before she ran around the ready boy.

As she ran effortlessly, the chakram began to attack him, as she threw shuriken and kunai from every angle. He struggled to block them all. Even though the shuriken stopped once he blocked them, the chakrams were alive with action and homed in on him acfter each foil. Even if he could survive this onslaught, he had no chance of attacking Sarafu. He didn't have to worry about the lengthening hours. Sarafu finished her bombardment quickly.

First, the shuriken ceased, and then Luna came swirling back to Sarafu. I watched those golden eyes glitter with joy as she flung her hands across her chest, as if she were pulling some sort of rope.

Or string, I realized. At the right angle, the sunlight shown on about twelve thin, almost invisible strings that restrained Suigetsu. She hadn't only been attacking him, but throwing these wires all around him.

The swirling chakram began to orbit around the immoble Suigetsu. We all knew what was going to come next. Despite his immoble state, Suigetsu somehow managed to to create a water bubble shield to block the fierce chakrams. Some part of the equation changed when you added ninjas to a water bubble to make it equal to an indestructible shield.

Sarafu frowned. This watery eyed boy was blocking all of her attacks, barely, but definitely. As it was, he was just a bit more powerful than she was, and that was an unforgivable tragedy. "Play time is over now," she growled threatengingly at the water ninja. "This ends now!" The twirling chakram orbited Sarafu once again, but this time, she leapt into the air, her sharp minions following her. Her fingers worked like magic at a rate of five hand signs per second. Meantime, dark and ominous crowds began to crowd the sky for a chance to view the awesome battle.

"Lightening Element, Twin Thunder Dragons!"

Instantly, a bolt of lightening struck the ninja girl and her weapons. Everyone looked up in horror at this natural infliction that just struck Sarafu. To my relief, the lightening began to coil around the chakram to reveal an untouched Kichino. Something even more electrifying than that was the lightening actually taking the shape into identical serpentine dragons with thundering roars. Sarafu was not weightless, however, and began to be pulled back to Earth, and the dragons caught her in their swirling flight. (Again, how ninjas manage to defy the laws of Physics is beyond me.)

Surfing on her newly charged companions, Sarafu dove towards her enemy, creating a humongous crater from the impact with the ground. Suigetsu dodged just enough to save himself, but not enough to escape a mild scalding. Sarafu swept around and redoubled her efforts. Again, Suigetsu alluded her.

"Why won't you die?!" She screamed in frustration in her next attack, lunging some kunai at his running figure, nicking his shoulder.

Just as she did this, a terrible, deep roar from the sky erupted the earth. Everyone searched around, curious to the source.

'Sarafu?'

_Don't look at me, those weren't my dragons._

We all glanced up at the blackened sky and a little flicker of light shown through thebleak clouds. Suddenly, as if she were suffering from a heart attack, the color drained from Sarafu's face as her mouth hung open. Her Twin Thunder Dragons gave a shriek before they dissappated, and the spinning chakram slowed to a halt on the dirt in the crater. Sarafu fell down from the loss of her dragons.

My transparent heart leapt into the air in fear, but relief soon followed when I saw that she had been caught by a tan cloud of sand. Gaara carefully drew her near to him, so that he could check on her status. From a closer view, I could ascertain that her shock had been much more dramatic than we first surmised. Her eyes plastered open permanently and the rest of her facing hanging down agape, she resembled a wax figure in a horror mansion.

The Kazekage didn't speak, but I could feel his waves asking her if she was okay. Her lower jaw began to quiver as she made out a couple of shaky words.

"Mo-on...Dra-gon..."


	18. I Want To Protect Her!

**A/N:** Alright! I'm writing these instead of writing my 2 page essay! Yeah!

**I Want To Protect Her!**

The rain from Sarafu's clouds poured on us still. Dark grey clouds covered the sky, hiding the dragon's whereabouts if it was even remaining there. Sarafu rested her head wearly against Gaara's chest. My wet brown hair darkened from the water stuck to her face. Her golden eyes looked dulled and lost their glitter.

"It's gone," she sighed. "My body was so close and now it's gone. My father's gone; my mother's gone; my will is gone. Gaara, I'm not sure if I can take anymore of this."

Gaara didn't speak, but his jittery waves from before steady out into calm, soothing ripples of emotion. He set her down on a bed of sand and made a roof over her to protect her from the onslaught of the rain. Then, he turned back to the others.

Meanwhile, I walked over to Sarafu. 'Can I come back in now?'

_Why do you need permission? This is your body. I'm sorry for knocking you out like that._

'It's alright. I understand what your going through.'

_No you don't. You may have my memories, but you weren't there. You didn't feel it! You don't know who he was._

'Your father? You mean that you actually miss Orochimaru?!'

_My whole life, I imagined my father as being someone understanding. Who else would want to make love to my mother? He must've truly loved her to remain by her side even those she was going insane because of the dragon. You can imagine my dissappointment when I met him. But, deep inside of me, hope still lingered. Who knows? He might change. The whole time, I still hoped he would love me._

She curled into a ball and I could hear her sobs over the rain. Sarafu had become an emotional wreck. Was this the dragon's doing? Or Orochimaru's? A feeling washed over me as I stared at the humbled form of Sarafu. I returned to my body and put her mind at rest. The golden eyes faded to a dull brown. I was in control of my body now.

I rose from the bed of sand and walked over to Gaara who faced the others. e glanced at the look on my face and then closed his eyes, understanding. "I apologize for the trouble Sarafu has caused you, Uchiha Sasuke," I spoke to the dark leader of the forbodding trio. "However, Hinako stays with us."

Sasuke stared at me in his stone cold face, sensing my firmness in my declaration. He reached behind his back, his hand on the hiltof his sword. Without looking away from the Uchiha, I said to Gaara, "Sarafu won't last much longer this way. She's becoming a psychological mess. We need to finish this. I know if we work things out with Hinako, she might be relieved a bit."

Gaara opened his eyes and stared at our enemies as well. "Do you believe you can take them on?"

"I will try. No matter what. I want to protect Sarafu. I've only seen her sad and in pain, she's protected me from all sorts of torture. I want to protect her too."

Gaara looked down at the wet grass for a second, before he flicked his vision back to Sasuke. "Thank you."

"Wait a minute!" Hinako shouted at everyone. "Don't I have a say in any of this?!" She stood up, since she had been sitting in shock since the elder Uchiha's arrival. "I say I don't want to go with either of you! I won't help you find big brother, and I want hand myself over to you losers!" She spat at Gaara and I.

"You don't have a say in this, Hinako," Sasuke never looked away from me.

"Yes I do!" She shouted angrily at him. "We may be related, but I am my own entity! I contr-"

Sasuke cut off her words by chopping her in the back of her head with the sharp of his hand. Hinako fell to the ground, face first, and was unconcious. This guy really didn't have any sentimental feelings towards his sibling.

Surprisingly enough, however, he let go of his sword. This put me off guard. He picked up Hinako and his two lackies drew near him. It clicked.

"Hey, wait!" I called out for him, but it was too late. They had already teleported somewhere else. "Damn it! Why am I always so worthless?!" This was my one chance to help Sarafu, and I totally blew it!

"Come on, Misa," Gaara addressed me as he began to trek across the muddy plain. "We still have to go to the Grass Village."

"...Yes, sir."

I trudged behind him and took one last look at the muddy battlefield, making sure to pick up Luna along my way. I will help you, Sarafu.


	19. The Gypsy's Prediction

**A/N: **We're gonna take it a bit slower in this chapter. It's been way too dramatic for too long.

**The Gypsy's Prediction**

After meeting with the Kusakage, we left the village with a successful negotiation. It actually went surprisingly well considering our past failures caused by Hinako. Maybe Sasuke's interference was a good thing, even if it did just cause Sarafu to crack.

"Where to next, Kazekage-sama?" I asked him after we had stopped at a resteraunt for some replenishment.

"I think its about time we headed back to Suna," he replied, looking up at the clear blue sky. "A kage can't remain out of his country for too long."

I nodded. This whole journey was a risk.

Since Grass Country was so small and next to the Wind Country, we arrived home in only a day. Much to our relief, Suna remained unharmed through the length of our trip. I could feel Gaara unwind as he laid eyes on his peaceful village. I didn't even realize that he had been worrying about Suna this much until we came back.

'What a great kage.'

_He is wonderful, huh?_

We were welcomed home with open arms. Temari even gave me a hug. Was I the only one not stressed out about leaving home?

"Thank god, you're back!" Temari sighed as she gave Gaara a hug too. I could feel Sarafu's great sense of envy. I bit my bottom lip. If she didn't get her body back, Sarafu may never know what it feels like to hug Gaara again. I would have to do something about this.

As soon as the informal welcomes subsided, it was time for Gaara's formal welcome with a stack of papers waiting anxiously for him on his cluttered desk. I walked listlessly around his room, remembering nostalgic memories of when I first met Gaara. It feels like it happened so long ago.

"How's Sarafu doing?"

I snapped back to earth, and turned to Gaara, for I had been gazing out the window. "Not good. She's been rather...calm."

"Hmm..." That was all he said as he got back to his work. Being with Gaara this much, I knew that he truly was worried for Sarafu. He just liked to use as minimal amount of words as possible.

"I'm thinking she needs a pick-me-up," I continued, eyeing the fluffy red head sunk into a pile of paper. "You know, ever since her death, you guys haven't really 'hung out' with each other." I could hear Sarafu giggling at the irony of my last statement. "How about you two go on a date this coming weekend. I agree to lend my body all day, and I won't bother you guys at all! I'll float somewhere else!"

_Misa..._

Gaara looked up at me, and put his pen down. He gave a heart-wrenching smirk. "Sure. I need to check up on my village anyway."

_Oh my gosh! Misa, thank you! Thank you so much! I can't believe he said 'yes'! I love you forever! I'm so happy. _

I giggled, which made Gaara look curiously at me. "She's looking forward to it."

'It's the least I can do for you. You need the time off.'

I twiddled with an old stuffed bunny I had laying around my room from my childhood. I couldn't contain the sigh that escaped me.

_It's not so bad. Your mom only grounded you until you're 18. _

'I know, but it'll probably increase when I have to sneak out for your date. She doesn't exactly know I have someone possessing me.'

_Ah, but you're a ninja now. She doesn't have to know that the 'real' us are gone._

'Ooh, you're right. I like how you think, girl.'

I jumped when I heard a tap on my window. I looked over to see a little wisp of sand. I knew before I even ran to the window that Gaara had come to pick Sarafu up, but what stunned me was his attire. He didn't wear the usual robes associated with the officials of Suna. He wore black leather pants, with a crimson red belt hanging at his small hips. He wore a tight grey shirt that hugged the curves of his muscles and a black jacket with an assortment of necklaces. In short, he looked like one of those hott emo punk rockers that seemed to be all the rage now a days. I never realized until now how truly thin Gaara's frame was. Underneath all those formal robes, you didn't see much of a figure. I could feel my mouth watering as I gaped stupidly.

"I heard you were grounded," he looked up at me after I opened the window. "So I figured it best not to answer the front door. You ready?"

I couldn't answer, just nodded stupidly, then pulled my head back inside, to run to a mirror.

'Do I look alright? I didn't think about dressing at all!'

_Ahem! This is my date, and yes, I already picked out the perfect outfit yesterday (although I don't want him to lust after _your _figure). Can we go now?_

'Right, sorry!' I made my way back to the window.

_Wait! What about the clone!_

'Oh, almost forgot!' I put my hands together and effortlessly created an exact replica of myself. "Make sure Mom doesn't suspect anything!" I ordered the clone, before I hopped out of the window and landed next to Gaara.

"You should be a little more careful," He cautioned me, as we began to slip away, making sure to avoid the windows of my house. "That was two stories."

"I'm a ninja now, remember?" I smiled.

_I thought this was _my _date?_

"Oh, right, sorry," I thought aloud, too flustered from Gaara's dashing looks to only think it and not voice it. I closed my eyes, and felt myself being pushed out of my body. I saw my lashes raises and golden snake eyes replaced my chesnut ones. I watched as they ran into the streets, mingling with the crowd like Romeo and Juliet on a secret rendezvous.

'Even though Sarafu and I are interconnected, she still can't see me, so as long as I don't voice anything out, she won't notice me if I follow her. Besides, there's no way I could miss out on all this juicy romance!'

I giggled mischeviously to myself as I floated after the couple.

They were walking more slowly now. It felt weird to watch my own body walking in front of me. I began to notice some features about myself that I didn't exactly like. Was I always so lanky and tall? I stopped my feminine worries to listen in on their conversation.

"Remember the last time we had a date?" Sarafu winked at Gaara.

"You say 'last time' like we usually go on dates," Gaara snorted. "That was the first one, and it was a double date you and Hinako forced on Neji and me. But no, I didn't forget. Who could forget you getting drunk off of candy?"

"Heheh..well," Sarafu flushed as she rubbed her neck with chagrin. "Let's say sugar is like alcohol to me."

"Well let's see if that still happens in this body," Gaara suggested as he pulled Sarafu faster through the crowd. I caught a hint of pink cheeks as he whisked her by, staring at his hand on hers.

I squealed in place. 'This is better than those dramas on TV! They look so cute together!'

I eagerly followed after them, to see what Gaara had in store for her. I was fairly surpised by the infinitesimal amount of attention they were receiving from the crowd. I suppose not many people would recognize Gaara not in a robe.

They stopped at the bazaar in town. The street was loud and packed with booths littering the broad street like a fair. Gaara led Sarafu to one of the larger booths. There, you could make your own candy, dipping what ever you want into what ever you felt like! Gaara payed the vendor before he hand Sarafu a plain popsicle stick.

"What is this? Invisible ice cream?" She snorted.

"Watch," he took a banana from one of the bins and stuck it onto his stick, then he dipped it into a tub of liquid chocolate and thin in a receptacle of granola bits. The chocolate dried almost instantly. He took a bite out of it. "You try! Do whatever you want!"

Sarafu looked at her stick before she walked to the booth. She finally decided on a shishkabob of strawberries covered in white chocolate with little mint crumbs sprinkled over it. They ate their chocolate covered fruits happily and Sarafu even managed to get Gaara to give her a bite.

I could hear her triumphant _Score!_ in my head and the thought of her indirect kiss with Gaara. Something told me it wasn't only Sarafu putting on the moves tonight. Gaara was overly suave and smiley today, too. Was this how he truly acted when he's cutting loose, or is he just trying to woo Sarafu on his only chance of a date? They haven't actually had a chance to have fun like this, being ninjas and all.

Next, he led her to one of the jewlery booths. I could see Sarafu's questioning and hopeful gazes. Gaara noticed it too and said, "As a commemeration of this day. Pick anything you like."

Sarafu put her finger on her chin and eagerly examined each and every ring, keychain, and necklace. I could feel her excitment as she chose one. We followed her point to a simple necklace with a sloth hanging from ther chain. "Because it reminds me so much of you!"

Gaara glared at her as she laughed aloud. "Fine," he stuck his nose up. "Then, I'll take this one since it resembles your terrible personality!" He pointed at necklace with a chubby green toad that looked like it had seen better days.

"Hey!" Sarafu hit him on the shoulder. "You take that back! I have a great personality!"

"Is that all, sir?" the young lady operating the booth held the two necklaces in a plastic bag.

"Yes, here you go," he handed her a few bills as Sarafu continually beat on his chest. He took the bag and began to walk away, Sarafu following. "Keep the change," he said to the lady over his shoulder as he walked off with what I'd like to call a 'pimp' walk. He really was playing the stud today, wasn't he? Who ever knew Gaara could be so cute?

"Hey, isn't that the boy from yesterday?" the young lady asked an old man that was working the booth with her.

"Yeah, I think it is," the elderly man rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe he was scouting out on the schedule for the date with his little girlfriend there. He looks awfully familiar though. I think I've seen him somewhere else."

'Did Gaara actually come here a day early to plan out his date with Sarafu? Was he really this serious about her?'

I felt a deep warmth overflowing my heart, so much that it hurt. 'Gaara loves Sarafu so much. I wish I could find someone who would love me like that. Ah! This is no time to day dream! I gotta follow them or I'll lose 'em!'

I found them wandering about the bazaar until they got to the end and Sarafu pointed to a store on the edge that marked the beginning of the shopping district. It appeared dark inside and had a very antique look in its architecture. "Ooh! Gaara! Let's go in there!" She squealed, pulling him after her.

The store actually turned out to be some sort of foreign imports department with everything from home decor to hats. Inscents were burning in the back of the room that held a pink fog. The golden jewlery along with the bright colored satin fabric all around the room gave the story a gypsy feel.

After running around the store and laughing at all the statues the clerk behind the counter called out to her. She looked rather thin with wiry hair twice the size of her small head. Her eyes were wide, but only maginified by her glasses, probably from living in the dim light of this store. "Would you like to have you and your boyfriend's palms read? Only 600 yen."

"Ooh, yeah! Can we Gaara?" Sarafu hopped around the mellow Kazekage like a little puppy trying to play fetch with its master.

He gave the look of 'I don't believe in this crap', but gave in. "Whatever, here you go." He handed her the money.

"Now let me see each of your left hands," she comanded, taking a hold of thier hands with her small bony ones. She gazed at them intently. I felt a slight increase in the frequency of her waves, before the calmed down to a merry beat. She grinned happily at them. "I can see that you two were meant for each other. This line here, represents your love life." She dragged a long fingernail across their open palms. "See how long it is? That represents how deep your love is. I'd even go so far as to say you two will have a baby together, although after marriage, I'd hope. Let's see...you, young man, need to learn to express your feelings more, or risk causing misunderstandings with those around you. And you, young miss, seem to be plagued with a series of bad luck, but have received more ups than downs. All I can advise you on is to think positively and you'll overcome any obstacle!"

"Did you hear that Gaara?" Sarafu smiled lecherously at the young Kazekage who retrieved his hand from the bony woman. "We're meant for each other. Even a baby. We better get to work to make these predictions come true!"

"Please, I don't waste my time with such childish women," Gaara rolled his eyes, as he became bored of the place, and walked through the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarafu called out angrily after him.

I was about to follow, too, before I heard the fortune teller sigh sadly. "Those poor kids. It's true that they really are meant for each other, however, they will meet a tragic end. One of them won't live past 20."

**A/N:** Oops, my bad. Still dramatic.


	20. The Threat

**A/N: **Yay! More plot! I had forgotten that existed.

**The Threat**

After floating there for some length of time, I flew over Suna, in search of Sarafu and her beau. I eventually found them on one of the majestic walls that enclosed the city. They sat together as the winds rolled over them and the city. It seemed that I came in the middle of their nostalgic musings of the past.

"Yeah, you two were so jealous!" Sarafu teased Gaara.

"I just don't like that little punk," Gaara growled. "He was annoying and wouldn't leave you alone."

"Oh really?" Sarafu grinned slyly, and then finally asked the question. "So where is Ryu? I haven't seen him since, well, I was a parrot."

"After you possessed Misa he went to find the people of Sora, and try to regroup them. He's probably become Sorakage in your stead. He probably did it after you yelled at him."

"I see," that was all she said as she stared unemotionally at the sand.

"Do you want to go see him?"

"Of course I do!" Sarafu shouted back at him. "He was my friend! He was there for me when all of Sora turned against me! I didn't intend for him to fall for me, but I still like him. Plus, I want to see what became of Sora."

Gaara stared at the sand dunes in the distance, his dashing smile lost, and he resumed his cold, reserved self. "Maybe we can find them on our trip to the Rock Country. That is after all, where you guys fell."

"However, I can't come back to them, like this," Sarafu stood up, the sun set's orange glow reflecting off her silver chain with the sloth hangingly lazily from the cool metal. "We'll look for them, only to check up on their current status, but I won't resume my position until I can govern my own physical form. And to do that, I'll need to get the Moon Dragon somehow."

"What do you suppose attracted it that time?" Gaara remembered her fight with Suigetsu. The dragon had only flew by for a second, but it was definitely there.

"I have no clue," Sarafu sighed. "It said it'd never return here for another millenia, even though it hasn't eaten in some time. I haven't let it eat ever since it possessed me. Maybe it's hungry?"

"That could be it," Gaara stood up also. "Let's head home. Misa must be lonely."

After that, I figured the rest would be boring, so I headed home, and waited for Sarafu to come sneaking back around the corner of our house. Not only that, but I still was debating with myself whether I should tell Sarafu the gypsy clerk's premonition or not.

'She probably didn't tell them because she didn't want to ruin their happiness,' I thought quietly. 'I don't think I should either. But how will I be able to keep this from Sarafu? We share memories.'

I ground my knuckles into my temples trying to squeeze the answer out of my brain until it finally came to me. 'We only share them willingly! As long as I lock it so deep within my brain that even I forget it, then she won't be able to find out. It would just devastate Sarafu if she thought that Gaara might die so soon. Ok, I just got to will it deep into my mind. Will it...'

I didn't realize I had been concentrating for so long until I heard Sarafu's voice penetrate into my meditation. I woke up and looked at her blissful face. Gaara was dropping her off now, but he couldn't seem to tear away from Sarafu's eyes. I could feel his waves speeding up, and new that he was looking for a move. His face drew closer, and Sarafu eagerly brought hers up, before Gaara changed his direction to her ears, and whispered something. I could see the great look of disappointment on Sarafu's face as Gaara pulled away from her and walked briskly away. I got up and rejoined with her.

'So, how'd it go? Looks to me like Gaara was trying to put the moves on you there. What'd he say?'

_Nothing, he just said good-bye. I guess its not fair to let him kiss your body. I wouldn't want to take your first kiss away from you._

'Thanks for the thought. Let's head upstairs now.'

Sarafu faded from command and I carefully climbed up the wall of my house and into my bedroom using the wall-climbing technique. My clone was sleeping on my bed, so I released it and took its place. Just as I had gotten settled, my mom opened the door and stepped in.

"Misa, it's time for dinner, sweetie," nudged my shoulder. "You can't sleep off your grounding!"

"How much longer will this take?" I grumbled as I sat back up.

"Until I feel merciful," Mom smiled evilly. "Which will be never."

"You can't keep me in my room forever, Mom," I knitted my eyebrows. "I'm gonna have to follow the Kazekage eventually. I have a job now, Mom, that I can't run away from."

"I know," my mom sighed, she stared lucridly at my wall with all its posters. "You're flying the nest earlier than the others. But that doesn't mean I can't keep you here for as long as possible! Now come eat dinner with us, like a family!"

She got up and strutted out of my room. I sighed and fell back to my bed. I hate to leave my family like this, but...

CLANG!

I shot up and ran out of the room to see what the noise was. I practically jumped down the stairs and when I flicked around to look into the kitchen, a horrific scene was shown before me. My older brother and younger sister were strewn about the floor in bloody messes, and mom was being strangled by some man. He was just a little taller than me, with spiky black hair, however, he wore a white mask with a black swirl designed on it. And he wore the red clouded coat I had grown to hate.

"There's the young mistress," from his voice, I could tell he was young, maybe my age. "I tried to ask these kind people, but they wouldn't answer me." He flung my mom aside and she collapsed onto the table. "Now, I must deliver Deidara-senpai's message."

_Deidara? That's one of the guys who kidnapped Gaara! Who's this punk?_

"Let's see," he tapped his chin, as if in thought. "How'd it go again? Oh, right. 'If you want to see the Dragon of the Moon, bring me the one named Naruto. If not...'" He kicked my sister in the side of her ribs, "'we'll pay another visit to your friend's family.' Capiche?"

'This...this is a message for you. How do they know that you're in me?'

_I don't know! Hinako didn't have the time to tell them, plus she was kidnapped by Sasuke. Did he let her go so easily?_

"Well, since my job is done, I'll be going," he waved casually at us. "Oh, but don't worry, I'll be near. Nearer than you think."

The howling wind outside blew through the window,and wisps of this strange criminal were torn away in the breeze. He was gone. I ran over to my family and checked them over.

'What should we do? What should we do?'

_Calm down! First, let's call the ambulence! Hurry!_

* * *

I listened intently to the medical ninja who relayed the status of my family to me in the bleak tan hospital.

"They're all alive; Your mother was the least touched of them all. She only had a few scratches, you're broher had a lot of bruises and cuts, you're sister however...not only has she been beaten severely, but her rib cage was broken. Some of the shattered bone has punctured her right lung. Now, now, don't worry. We've mended the puncture, however, the lung has still been weakened. She'll live, but from now on, she'll have a bit of difficulty breathing. She won't be able to do any strenuous exercise, and don't even think about letting her go swimming. That's too much of a risk."

"Have you told my mother yet? Is she awake?" I couldn't help, but stand up in my anxiety.

"No, she's not concious yet. None of them are. You may see them, if you like."

"No, it's ok," I sighed, and dismissed him.

Just as he left, however, Gaara came by. He looked stark and blank as usual, just with a concerned aura about him.

"How are they?" he asked me calmly.

"They're fine," I sighed again. This whole fiasc was just way too tiring. "Just beaten up is all."

"How are you?"

I looked up at him. The question had become cliche in these times, not even answered anymore, but this time, from Gaara, it held nothing but worry and concern.

"Not okay," I sniffled before I fell against his chest. Just this once, I'll forget that he's Sarafu's. He wrapped his arms around me in the form of a hug, and rested his chin on my head. I found myself dissappointed in the way he embraced me. It felt like he was...pitying me, like he was comforting his little sister or something.

I pushed away from him. "I-I I'm sorry...I-I've gotta go." I dashed away from him. I had completely forgotten to tell him about the threat.


	21. Inukami

**A/N: **A rather short chapter. But it felt like it needed to go on its own. We meet another crazy character! Huzzah!

**Inukami**

"Are you ready to go?" Kazekage-sama asked me outside the main office.

I gave him the affirmative, placing my hands firmly on the straps of my pack. I looked at the sand that had been packed down into solid ground by the millions of feet that tred on it everyday.

"Are you sure you want to leave right now?" I didn't have to look up to sense the concern in his voice.

"Yeah," I looked up. "She'll never let me leave otherwise. Oh, and sorry for the mental breakdown yesterday."

"I'd be concerned if you _didn't_ have a breakdown," Gaara managed to squeeze some sarcasm into our chat.

"Off to Rock Country then?" I changed the topic.

"Yes," Gaara looked past the gates at the early rays of the rising sun. "Let's hope Akatsuki doesn't appear there as well."

I nodded. Last thing I needed right now is for one of those psychoes to show up and ruin another aspect of my life. I seemed to be plagued with them as of late.

_Sorry, this is my fault. If I hadn't possessed you, then none of this-_

'It's alright! If I really wanted to, I could kick you out and into someone else's body. To be truthful, I don't regret anything we've done. You saved me from my monotone life.'

_You sure you prefer chaos over peace?_

'Anyday.'

"Sorry, I'm late guys," I heard a familiar female voice from behindme just as I was about to head off.

I turned around to find a Temari in her black travel clothes and pack ready to go. Now that I mentioned it, why didn't Gaara have any travel gear.

The Kazekage saw my puzzled look and explained the situation. "I won't be guiding you this time, Misa. The village as been without its kage for too long. The elders have become worried that another incedent such as last time might happen again."

"But Akatsuki has no more reason to come after you!" I argued desperately. "Explain this to the elders, they'll understand! You're the leader, not them! You can do whatever you want! Jus-"

"Misa!" The command in his stern voice was final. He was no longer going to spoil me. "I, as well, wish to stay here. I enjoy my job as Kazekage, and do not wish to lag in my duties. Temari is my sister, and will take care of you just as much as I would. She's the most powerful in our country, after me, that is. I trust her."

I bit my lower lip to help suppress the deep shame that was rising up in my chest. When Gaara put it like that, it made it seem as though Temari was babysitting me, like I was extra baggage. I had been spoiled this entire time. Everyone babying me. I'm only a beginner, after all.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama," I grudgingly replied.

"Good," he coldly turned away, to return to his office. "Fortune be with you on your journey." He disappeared past the door.

"Shall we be off then?" Temari turned to me.

"Yeah," I pouted and followed her quiet figure.

* * *

We reached the Rock/Sand border in half a day. We're lucky that Suna is so close to the North West or our travel would've taken the entire day. We stopped for lunch and to pick up more food. I was waiting outside the grocery store for Temari, when I saw a strange sight. 

There was a boy who looked a little older than me, but about my height. He had wild black hair that looke like it was trying to jump off his head and wide black eyes. He wore a button-up white shirt that looked a little too big for his small figure and simple black pants with a bright orange bandana tied around his waist. He looked like something our of a pirate movie, and he was looking straight at me.

_Maybe he was checking you out. He obviously has strange tastes. _

'Why do I feel like you're insulting both of us?'

_Should we talk to him? He looks like he obviously wants our attention._

'Su-'

I was about to get up and talk to him when I noticed a couple of stray dogs sniffing his rear. He noticed too, and turned on them in harsh whispers.

"Get out of here, you guys!" he rasped at them. "You're gonna blow my cover!"

"What cover?"

While the dogs distracted him, I had snuck up behind him, and now revealed my presence. He jumped a bit and then turned to me with that nervous salesman smile. "Oh, h-hello, miss!"

"So what were you staring at before, hmm?" I leaned in to intimidate him with my coy smirk.

"A-ah..uh..er..n-nothing much...just..."

"Oh, so you think I'm 'nothing much,' is that it?"

"N-No, no! It's just..."

"Just what?"

He fidgeted with his fingers for a while, before he grasped my hand and shook it wildly. "Nice to meet you! I'm the one and only dog charmer, Inukami!"

"'Inukami'? That's a strange name," I commented as I wriggled my hand from his jittery grasp. _Dog God?(1)_

"Yeah, what can I say?" He began to speak in a fast, nervous slur. "My parents weren't very creative. They were going to name me Iwa, after the Rock Capital. I guess you can call it national pride, but they could've thought of something more clever than 'Iwa'. It could have something related to rocks, but it still-"

I flung my hand over his mouth to halt the torrent of ramblings. This guy sure was a talker. "Listen, Doggy, I don't really care."

"Wuf sho nag?" He tried to speak through muffles. I removed my hand and allowed him to reiterate. "What's your name?"

"Misa," I finally decided to answer after much thinking.

"Well, it's a pleaseure to meet you, Miss Misa!" He continually shook my hand with both of his vigorously. "I can just tell we'll be great friends! Do you like dogs, Miss Misa? I'm a dog charmer, after all. Maybe I ca-"

I removed my hand from his grasp. "I'm more of a cat person," I rubbed my aching wrists. He had a surprisingky strong grasp. Looking at his eager face, he looked like a dog himself. Moreso a puppy than a dog. But there was something else about him. "You're voice seems very familiar. Have we met before?"

This made Inukami's body go rigid. "No! I...uh..just have one of those generic voices you hear everyday."

_This guy is totally suspicious!_

"Hey, Misa!" I turned around to find Temari running towards me with a hefty backpack. "Don't run off like that, I was worried sick! What would Gaara have done to me if I lost you?"

"Sorry, Temari," I sheepishly scratched my cheek. I had completely forgotten about her.

"Who's this guy?" She noticed Inukami standing beside me.

"Oh, just some stalker guy," I waved it off and began to walk away. "No one worth your thoughts. Let's go."

"Bye, bye, Miss Misa!" He called out as he waved his hand fervently in the air above his head.

"Are you sure its okay to leave him just like that?" Temari asked me after he was out of our sights. "I mean, he's your stalker, right? And he looks like some kind of freak."

"It's alright," I waved off her conern. "He doesn't seem like he's that devoted to me, anyway. We'll probably never see him again.

I spoke too soon.

* * *

(1)- "Inu"Dog; "Kami"God. 


	22. Phobia

**A/N: **Argh! I'm getting so anxious! The end is soon, my dears! The end is soon!

**Phobia**

The Rock Country was just as much a desert as the Wind country, the exception being that it was solid rock, instead of sand. Though, even in this mountainous territory, there still resides a series of forest an wood up north. It was here that Temari and I stumbled upon a secret village.

Just a few moments before, we were heading northwest, toward the nation's capital, to discuss a series of treaties with the capital, Iwa. A thick forest stood between us and Iwa, and there was no other way to cross it, but to brave through the thick foliage on a narrow path.

"There should be a main road going through here," I complained. "I mean, the capital is practically _surrounded_ by trees. The capital is the most important city in a nation!"

"Actually, contrary to common belief, for the Rock, this is not so," Temari lectured me as we walked under the thick canopy that blocked nearly all sunlight. "Iwa is mainly government buildings and offices anyway. Not much trade goes through there. Surprisingly enough, Iwa is not the most populous city in the country; that would be Shintsurugi, which is the heart and bustle of Rock."

"Wow, Temari," I exclaimed. "You sure know a lot about Rock."

"I have to. Not only are we traveling in it, but it is our neighbor. It is good for the higher ups in Suna to know well about the countries that border us. You never know when a wars about to start. Especially now, with Sarafu's prediction."

"Pardon me, but doesn't it seem odd to follow the prediction of one girl, who most didn't take seriously in the first place?"

_Hey!_

Temari glanced at me, and then continued to look forward. After a moment of silent thinking, she answered with "Her explanations were sound, plus, Akatsuki has been increasing its activity lately. They seem to have become impatient in the area of the Jinchuuriki. Also, Gaara trusts her, and I trust Gaara." She stopped to take a swig from her canteen, and then continued. "Humans, especially those skilled, such as ninjas, are still animals. Although highly developed, we all carry..._instincts. _I think I can speak for Kankurou and Gaara when I say we could _feel_ that a war was coming. Especially since we're accustomed to battle, we could smell it in the air, just as if fresh blood had been shed. Misa, a ninja must not only, no, above all else, a ninja must be clever. Our weapons are Deceit and Trickery; we reside within the shadows and strike quickly. It is only with another ninja that we fight out in the open. It is very difficult to trick a trickster, Misa, remember that."

I nodded, letting all of Temari's advice sink in. Now I could understand why Sarafu always called her the "Big Sister of Suna." She was wise and her advice was sound. I looked straight ahead. The forest was rather quiet, for an early fall afternoon.Up here in the north, it was rather chilly. I gazed at the Pine trees and Evergreens that littered the scene. Even as the weather fell colder still, these trees would remain steadfast. Even as they were laden with thick snow, their bold dark green would yell through the forest that never changed.

"Stay on alert," Temari touched my arm to wake me up from my daydream. "The clerk at the store told me that there was another reason not many people used this road. Rumors say that renegade ninjas hide in these woods and plunder on any unsuspecting traveler."

That kept me awake. Most outcast ninjas were not weaklings. They usually were powerful and commited some immoral act to get them kicked out, and in these dense woods, an ambush was not impossible. I skidded my eyes from left to right constantly, trying to see every movement.

_Did you hear that?_

'Hear what?'

As if to answer my question, a howl echoed from some distance, but not too far off. My head flicked to Temari. "You don't think...?"

"It's possible," Temari inflammed my fear. "This is the perfect evironment for wolves and foxes. I'm sure there's plenty of game scattered through here."

I swallowed the large lump in my throat, hoping that it was never there. I had heard millions of stories and seen plenty of movies where some slow, unsuspecting child had been ripped to shreds by the able-footed canines.

'And we're in their territory now! I bet they'd know how to rope us into a corner!'

_Oh, its fine! You're a ninja now, right? There are more fiercer things you'll fight than a wolf._

'A _pack_ of wolves, you mean. They seldom feed alone. They always move in packs.'

_Hey, I had to fight a freakin' tiger before! I think you'll be ok!_

'Yeah, but Mr.-'

All thoughts ceased as the snap of a twig resounded throughout the quiet forest. Both Temari and I turned to face the origin of the sound. My hand immeadiatly went to my kunai pouch, and my knees bent, ready to spring into action if my greatest fear had come to past. 'If it's a wolf, I'm high-tailing it out of here.'

"Who's there?" Temari called out, her own hand already on a kunai, and the other ready to grab another.

I tried to leap away when I saw a furred paw step out from behind a tree, but Sarafu weighed my feet down, resulting in me only falling back on my butt. I reluctantly sat up and looked over to find a familiar spectre that seemed to be haunting me.

"Hello, Miss Misa," Inukami shrugged shyly as he waved at me. "Didn't mean to scare ya."

The furry paw I had seen earlier belonged to one of the stalker's stalkers, a cute little Siberian Husky puppy with gorgeous icey blue eyes. I do recall that he was amongst the group of dogs I had seen with him before. I realized that both Temari and Inukami were staring at me staring at his dog. I stood up and dusted myself off, trying to regain my cool. "You really shouldn't stalk people like that, Doggy," I spoke to the human, not the dog. "It's unbecoming."

"Don't tell me," Inukami placed his hands over his mouth in mock horror. "You're afraid of dogs!"

"I am not!" I shouted back at him.

_Well, you do have a Canine-phobia. _

'Only wolves, not dogs.'

A howl resounded from behind me, and I flicked around instantly holding a kunai. I found only Inukami laughing and howling away, his dog joining in. My chagrin exploded.

"Hahaha! So I see its wolves, not dogs!" He pointed with one hand and held his cracking sides with the other. "That's the silliest fear I've ever heard. Wolves would rarely attack a human, especially ones walking along a road! Don't tell me you gained this fear watching werewolf horror movies and such? Oh, my gosh! You did!"

I sunk deeper into my blush. My face betrayed everything. What kind of stalker was this guy? Laughing at everything I said. He was getting on my nerves. 'Fine! I don't need to live through this!' I turned on my heel and dashed ahead from the road, passing by the trees and bushes that tried to stop me. I could hear Inukami's voice calling after me, and that only drove me farther away.

* * *

I found my self in a clearing by a small, bubbling brooke that probably broke off from some river that fed this forest. My lungs pounded heavily in my chest, so much that it seemed my rib cage had grown too small to contain it. The red from my cheeks had not subsided, though from my embarassment or from my running, I could not tell. 

'Ugh! I don't think I can face the world now. How could he laugh at me like that?'

_I didn't see Temari laughing._

'I suppose you're right, but that was uncalled for!

_I don't disagree. However, you have nothin to feel ashamed about. This fear was _woven_ into you since you were a kid. It would be hard to overcome this fear of 10 years. _

'Yeah. You're right.'

_Just calm down, take a deep breath, and let's drink from the stream. All that running has made our throat dry._

I got on my knees and cuped my hands into the clear water and brought it to my lips. The cool water soothed my sore throat and rejuvenated my spirits. I splashed some of the water onto my burning face. I let out a relieved sigh from the bottom of my toes. I was about to splash more water on my face, when a wavery figure shown in the water. It was the reflection of a man's face. I was only allowed a small gasp before a bag was thrust over my head, and my hands and legs, tied.


	23. The Descended

**A/N: **Ugh! I am plagued with bugs! I've killed like six gnats, just typing this story. Well, I hope your summer is bug-free. (Oh, I added a hint in here as to Inukami's true identity. Maybe some of you will guess.)

**The Descended**

Once the bag had been removed from my head, I was thrust into a cramped cell, with large wooden planks barring my exit. The room was dark, except for what light escaped from the crack under the door down the hallway. From the dim light, I could discern nine other similar cages placed unplanned throughout the small chamber. Since the walls were unevenly curved rock, I could only guess that I was underground. The other cages were unoccupied. I could only let out a sigh of relief. Temari and Inukami weren't captured yet.

Where is this place?" I wondered aloud, but didn't expect to get an answer.

"New Sora," a familiar voice spoke from somewhere deep in the darkness. "No one on the outside knows of it though, because anyone who gets too close, is captured, just as you were.

A light flickered and the founder of the voice revealed himself. It was none other than the masked Akatsuki member who had attacked my family before. The dim light was produced by a small flame projected atop his fore finger.

"You!" I immeadiately reached for him, to try and grasp his little neck. "You dare to show your face in front of me again!"

"Now, now," He shook his other finger at me. "That's no face for a young lady. I came here to ask about the whereabouts of Naruto. Please remember our bargin."

"How an you call that a bargin?! It was a threat! A bargin gives both sides a positive outcome!"

"You'll get a positive outcome! Your family won't die. What's not positive about that?"

"That's only because you're threatening them, you idiot! Gah! I feel like I'm talking to a retard!"

"How rude! And here I was going to help you out! But remember, Deidara-senpai is getting impatient. If you don't bring along Naruto soon, we'll start with your sister. She'll die easily."

"Bastard!" I called out and desperately tried to claw at him from the confines of my wooden cage.

"I'll be watching you, Miss Misa," he chuckled before he faded back into the darkness.

* * *

A few houra after the strangers reappearance, my captors returned to whisk me off to some other place. I found myself in a brightly lit room filled with artficial light, since there were no windows. I was tied to a chair and placed before a table, where a white haired young man was gazing at me from the other side.

"No way! Ryu!" I called out in astonishment.

At the sound of his name, the young man looked at me curiously. "How do you know my name?"

"Why, it's me, Sarafu! Well, actually, I'm Misa, Sarafu's inside my head, but we share each other's memories! That's how I know who you are!"

He squinted his eyes at me unbelievingly. "Prove it. That sort of information is easily attainable. How do I know you're really Sarafu?"

"Well, how else would I know you're full name is Hatake Ryushin, and you're the distant nephew of Hatake Kakashi of Konoha, but you're actually originally a member of the Cloud village. You have this weird dragon fetish and Gonko even bit you one time when you went crazy over the sight of him. What else, let's see, you were jealous over Sarafu with Gaara and you guys often fought, even had a rice-eating contest and-"

"Ok, that's enough!" Ryu put one hand up to motion my silence and another to cover his red face. "I get it. You're the girl who was possessed by Sarafu. You don't have to spill my life out right there. Untie her!" He ordered the guards.

After I was released, I scooted my chair closer to the table, since it was placed far away, almost to the wall. "_It's been a long time, huh, Ryu?_" I rested my elbows on the table and smiled at him. "_I haven't seen you since I last possessed this body_."

He stared at me and then smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It's gonna take me awhile to get used to you talking in that form."

"_So, what is this place_?"

"Well, after you had chewed me out for forgetting Sora," he spoke this bit rather low, since some of the very people we were talking about were only a few feet away. "I set off to find them. I found that the population had landed here, in the Rock Country. So, I rounded them together and helped them to establish inhabitance here, in this forest. Since the vegetation here is so dense, not many peopel would traverse here, so we find ourselves solitude. For guiding everyone and helping them adjust to life on land, they appointed me their mayor, and this, I've led them so far. We call this place New Sora."

"_They trust everything in a 16 year old's hands_?" I gaped.

"17 actually," he corrected me. "My birthday passed a few months ago. And its not uncommon. Gaara's only 16, is he not?"

I bowed my head. This was true. But it was still rather uncommon.

"So, what are you doing up here? I assume, you hang with Gaara a lot."

"_Of course! Misa is from the Sand! Gaara is her Kazekage; she must obey him. I won't deny that I don't enjoy being with him, but it's not like I anchor myself to him. I would like to visit my budsin Konoha and check on the people of S-, I mean, New Sora, as well, but I must think about Misa. Sh is what shows on the exterior. I'm just here along for the ride_."

"You didn't answer my question."

"_Well, since this could apply to you, you remember what I said about the war coming, right?_"

"Of course."

"_Well, up until recently, Gaara and I have been going as embassadors to all of the different Ninj Villages to discuss a treaty. Most, fo course, turned us, down, but after Akatsuki, that being Hinako, interfered, they gladly joined us, however, most villages have been damaged and need time to recuperate. So far we have the Rain, Leaf-of course, and the Grass. Mist and sound are out of the option, since they are greatly hostile towards us. Temari and I have come here to discuss the alliance of the Rock. Now all we need is to gain the alliance of the Cloud and Water, and we're good._"

"What about the Waterfall village?" Ryu asked me. "And the Star Village?"

"_I've heard of the Star Village in the Bear Country, however, their village is so small to even be a village! More like a cluster of people. We'll let them defend themselves. Waterfall, unfortunately, hates us now, thanks to Hinako's trickery_."

"Sounds like you've got your hands full," Ryu sighed. "Well, I can garauntee our alliance, but we won't be helpful. We've fallen from our ninja status since then, intent only on surviving. We have some militia, but they're merely the strongest men in the village. We won't be of much help."

"_Actually, I tihnk ya'll might be of great help_," I smirked. "_Do you think you could act as a supply resource? For weapons and food and the such?_"

"Yes, actually," Ryu perked as the idea dawned on him. "We have excellent blacksmiths here, in our village. As you might remember, we have some of the greatest intellegince in the world! We don't have an established university or anything, but we do have a large school wher we pass odnw our information to the next generation. If we started now, we could begin research in war and make you some great weapons. We can't offer men, but we can offer supplies. I'd be glad to help you out."

"_Thanks, Ryu! I'll tell the Kazekage as soon as I return from Iwa with Temari. We'll work on the details later, by mail, with him._"

"Well, until then,would you like to tour the village?" Ryu suggested.

"_Sure!_"

* * *

I was reunited later that evening with Inukami and Temari, as they were escorted to the village by the town militia. Really, it was quite degrading to have ninjas captured by mere town militia. We stayed in the village for the rest of the night, in which I spent more with Inukami thn Temari.

We took to exploring, forgetting the cares of the world for a moment, resorting back to children. We were children, anyway. The village itself was boring, being in that it was all thrown together and every house looked almost identical, so we explored the surrounding woods. We climbed over logs, raced through trees, got stuck in thick bramble and played in the creek. We saw plenty of dear, rabbits, birds, and other sorts of animals along the way.

I was merrily skipping about, humming to myself, when Inukami sudden;y shoved me down into a nearby bush. "Shhh! Look," he whispered, bushing back some of the branches to reveal a mother doe and some of her fawn. "Be careful not too make too much noise, or we'll scare them away."

I glowered at him for a second, for the pain in my body from the sudden tomble earthbound, but then was lost in this rare sight. In Suna, the only animals ever seen were snakes and lizards and other sorts of cold-blooded animals. My trip to Konoha dulled my surprise in trees, but not my wonder of the forest life. The doe looked so elegant, with her slender legs, and her soft, tawny fur was almost the same color as my hair. She looked serene and blissfull with her children drinking from the clear creek. Their long necks didn't strain so much as the mother's since they were already so close to the ground.

All within seconds, this calm, peaceful image was utterly shreddedto peaces as a ferocious wolf tackled the mother doe down and sunk its teeth into her flesh. The little fawns scrambled in surprise. I couldn't help, but utter a small cry. The mother had died before her children's eyes. And now that the wolf had finished the mother off, two more jumped from behind a couple of trees and they began to pace slowly towards the frightened fawns.

"No!" I shouted, teary-eyed, unable to stop myself from leaping out of our hiding spot and stepping in between the three wolves and the two baby deer.

I held Luna firmly in my hands and glared at them. Their cold-hearted eyes stared back at me, their wolverine eyes flashing a blood thirsty yellow. That familiar lump in my throat began to rise, but I kept it down. I didn't need fear to grasp hold of me again. I needed to keep my cool if I was to gaurd these babies.

My fierce glare was broken by Inukami placing himself between the wolves and me. I couldn't see his face, but could feel the serious air about him. "Back off!" He shouted at the wolves, his Siberian Husky growling beside him. "This is my female! I won't allow you to touch her."

As if to retaliate against him, one of the wolves leapt for Inukami, teeth seeking flesh. However, he calmly flung him aside with his arm. There was not a scratch on him. "I said to _back off! _Got it?"

As if they understood him, the wolves slowly backed away, tails between their legs, and they soon turned tail and ran off. The Siderian Husky growled at them, even after they were out of my sight, but he eventually calmed down and returned to happily letting his tongue hang out.

"That was really dangerous, you know!" Inukami shouted at me. "You don't just jump out like that! Especially in front of wolves!"

"But-," I began to protest. "Those baby fawns! It was going to eat them!"

"That's just the cycle of life," Inukami shrugged it off. "It's natural law ofr deer to be eaten by wolves. Besides, those fawn ran off a ong time ago, thanks to your distraction."

I turned around, and sure enough, there were no more baby deer behind me. Oh well. I didn't expect them to linger anyway.

"Anywho," Inukami began to walk away. "It seems you conquered your fear."

"Huh?" I looked at him.

"You fear of wolves remember?"

"Oh...Oh! Oh my! I completely forgot! Holy crap! I can't believe I did that!"

"What? It just now dawned on you that you were going up against wolves?"

I had been so intent on saving those poor baby deer that I had completely forgotten my fear of wolves. The feeling was os exhilerating, looking back on it now. I would've never dreamed of doing that before. I slight msall formed on my lips. It felt good.

"Well, we better head back, before you do something else that'll get us killed," Inukami looked up at the darkening sky.

_Where's your manners? Say thanks! He saved your-our lives!_

"Hey, Doggy," I called out to him. "Thanks...for saving me."

"I am a dog charmer, you know," he grinned at me, and then walked off.

As I followed him, I thought that he might not be such a bad guy after all.


	24. The War Has Begun

**A/N: **Ok, Inukami's secret identity is revealed! Too bad Misa won't understand how terribly he's tricked her! Also, got some goodies for you! I drew a picture of our two charactrs as of now: Misa and Inukami! Check them out: http://i20. War Has Begun

As much as we wanted to remain in New Sora and forget the rest of the world, we knew we had to leave for Iwa, and then back home. Of course, Inukami was going to follow us every step of the way.

"Doggy, are you a stray?" I asked him one time. "Can you be following us like this?"

Inukami only smiled and said, "Nope."

I wasn't sure if that was the answer to the first, the second, or both of the questions. I gave up halfway, knowing that even if I managed to succeed in shooing him away now, he'd only return later. These are the rules of a stalker.

Since New Sora was located so close to Iwa, the trip barely took us an hour. The walls of Iwa were not tall, but its buildings were. Just from the looks of the place, you could tell its inhabitants were filthy rich. Every other building was a mansion and the others might as well be five-star hotels. The smallest building was three stories tall. However, most of these were only the offices of the central business district. The residential district was farther down, and I shunned thinking of how big _those _might be.

The city hall was difficult to find amongst the splendor of the rest of the town. It, surprisingly, was the smallest building amongst the mini skyscrapers. Its architecture had become out-of-date hundreds of years ago (It must've seemed like a giant then). I would've figured that a city full of nothing but office buildings would take more care of the most important building in the town.

We were quickly issued to the Iwakage's office, where we met a tired, old man with gray hair hanging from everywhere but the top of his head. His eyebrows were long and hung from the side of his face, and his kage robe looked old and worn. I was surprised at how _he _wasn't surprised. Iwa didn't look like the place that got many low-income visitors like us. Maybe they didn't care?

"Ambassadors from Suna, I presume?" he asked us as we walked in and made ourselves comfortable.

"Yes, how'd you-" Temari began, before the old man answered her inaudible question.

"News of Suna, looking for allies in this upcoming 'war' has spread far and wide. I'm sure your enemies, Akatsuki, has heard long before us."

"Well, then, sir, if you already know the nature of our visit, then what do you say to joining us against the impeding war?"

"I will have to decline, I'm sorry," the old man rested his bony chin on his hands. "Rock has a spectacular record of keeping to themselves. We don't like to fight, only defend ourselves. I also don't see the logic in joining a war that _might_ happen, or might not. Even if it does, Rock will stay out of it. We have no personal stake in this. There's no need to harm our country."

No matter how much we tried to dissuade him, the Iwakage wouldn't budge. For so weary-looking a man, he sure was stubborn. We finally submitted and walked along the streets in defeat. Just as our spirits had reached their lowest, Temari's keen eyes caught sight of a swift hawk flying through the air. She stopped our march, as let the bird latch onto her arm, after she had adjusted an armband onto it, of course.

"It's a message from Suna," she told us, as she took the roll of paper from the birds leg. After reading it for a few moments, she wrote something on the back and reattached it to the hawk's leg. After the hawk had left, she told us the news.

"Sound and Mist have just attacked Grass. The war has begun."

* * *

Even news of the war beginning, didn't faze the Iwakage. Our stay here was pointless. We made out to return to Suna with the utmost haste. Temari, as well as myself, had an anxious feeling rising in our stomachs. We needed to get in contact with the Kazekage as soon as possible to formulate a counter-attack. However, our trip here took two days, and it would take the same, or less if we didn't stop. Either way, it would take a day before we returned to our homeland.

Inukami seemed to believe he was coming home with us to Suna.

"I'm sorry, Doggy, but we got to leave you here," I told him once we reached the border. "Your home is the Rock, and we won't take you from it."

"But...," he protested, trying to find the right words. "I don't want to stay here! I have no home! If I do have a home, it is with you! Why can't I follow you?"

"Listen, I don't pick up strays," I told him firmly. "Just go back to what you were doing before, Doggy."

He frowned, looking at me coldly. "Fine, then. I hope I never meet you again!" He turned and ran back down the path we had come. His retreating figure left me with a nasty taste in my mouth. I'd hate to leave things like this. He was my good friend during my stay in Rock. I'd like us to remain good friends.

I gazed up at Temari and she nodded, understanding the situation. "Be back in 10 minutes, or I'm coming to look for you."

I nodded, grinning, and then chased Inukami's tracks. At the border, sand and dust covered the ground, however a few vegetation and trees grew in these cooler climates. So, it was easy to see Inukami's footprints, however the trees made it difficult to navigate. I soon saw a break in the trees, but the sound of an unfamiliar voice stopped me.

"Is she still unwilling?" the strange voice asked.

I tried to look around the trunk of the tree I was hiding behind, however, I could only see the back of Inukami's head. The stranger was totally invisible to me.

"Yeah, almost like she's in denial," he shrugged. "She doesn't to be thinking about it at all. Even after the second confrontation."

"I see," the voice thought for a while, before returning with, "Then return to the hideout. We'll discuss what to do afterwards wit the Leader. Oh, and Tobi, don't be late, or we'll kill you."

"Heheh, yes, sempai," Inukami scratched the back of his furry head.

There was a loud _woosh_-ing sound, and Inukami's shoulders relaxed. I could hear his heavy sigh. "Man, sempai's so bossy."

I stepped out into the open, arms crossed, looking ticked, andleaning against a tree. "Who's 'sempai', Inukami?"

He quickly made some weird motion, and then flicked around, his face a look of surprise.

"Or should I call you 'Tobi'?"

I could see the color fade from his face as he gawked at me. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough to figure out you've been hiding something from me!" I spat at him. "So, who were you talking to? Who are you really? Spill it, Doggy! If you even _are_ a dog-charmer!"

His face looked open and slightly relieved, and then scrunched up in thought. "Miss Misa, I..."

"You _what?_" I yelled at him, no longer leaning and arms no longer crossed. "What, Inukami! What! Has everything you ever told me been a lie? Do I even _know_ you at all?"

I could feel the deep feeling of betrayal tugging at my eyes. I was so angry I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

He took a step towards me which only caused my glare to darken. He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It's not a lie that I go by Inukami, however, my real name is Tobi. I'm in this gang, sort of. Since I have no home, I needed protection, so I joined a 'pack', so to speak. The one I called 'senpai' is a friend who recruited me into the gang, but he also gives me orders."

"Who were you talking about when he said 'she'?" I interrogated him further.

"Well, that was you. The guys wanted you to join the gang, since they found out that you were a ninja. They thought someone so powerful would help them control the town. That's why I was staring at you when we first met, because I was sent to recruit you. However, after meeting you, I thought it would be a crime to lower you to that status, and instead, I wanted you to take me with you, wherever you went. I guess I am just like a stray, but living the life of a poor orphan really sucks, ya know."

"Is that all?" I raised an eyebrow.

"That's pretty much all of my pathetic life," he smiled weakly.

"You're not lying to me again, are you?"

"No, Miss Misa! There's no sense to lying to you now! I lied before, because I thought you wouldn't take me with you if you knew I was some poor pick-pocket, but now's my last chance to get out of here! I want to be with you, Miss Misa! These last few days were the greatest of my life! Please!"

I frowned in thought. Now that the talk had lengthened time, my anger had subsidded. 'What do you think?'

_His words were a little too sweet, but I think that's because he's so desperate. _

'Why is he so desperate, anyway? He didn't complain abotu the life he had before, so what's he after, trying to get out?'

_Do you think he's an escaped convict?_

'Hardly. He doesn't act like one, but then again, I was deceived once. Should we trust him?'

_No, but let's take him with us anyway. We'll keep a sharp eye on him, in case he tries anything funny. He's lost our trust._

"Fine, you can come with us," I said and just as his face lit up, I said, "but I can't trust you anymore. It'll hardly be the same as before."

"I understand, Miss Misa," he smiled sadly. "I'll work to win it back!"


	25. Falling Up

**A/N: **I haven't been inspired lately. I've been wanting to draw pictures rathern than right the story out. Sometimes I just wish I could make this into a doujinshi, but I can't. (It would take WAY too long, what with all th tones, and drawing and paneling, bleh!) Summer lethargy has set in, so I'll be forced to think about my story, but don't expect to highly. ;

* * *

**Falling Up**

Even after reaching Suna, I didn't get to see Gaara. Temari reported the results of our mission, so I was unneeded. More rather, I wasn't needed here. Temari ordered me to "watch over Inukami." In other words, I couldn't let him cause anymore trouble, so I was stuck with this guy for the rest of the day, until Gaara gave the me orders.

Inukami followed me everywhere like a loyal puppy. "Watching over" him wouldn't be too much of a task. Even in the crowded afternoon bazaar, Inukami stuck to me like glue.

"Oi, Miss Misa, where're we going?" he asked, trotting lightly and dodging the onrush of th crowd.

"To the hospital."

"What for? You sick?"

"No. To visit."

I expected some cute quirk or tilt of the head as he usually does, but his light, airy atmosphere seemed to fall from its elevation.

We arrived at the hospital and the nurse at the front desk directed me to my family's room. I asked her to ask the doctor on their condition. It seemed that they were steadily recovering, but still needed to remain in the hospital for a while longer.

Most of the hospital rooms accupied many people, but my family had a room to themselves, and I was glad. It would've been an awkward visit with some stranger listening in on our conversation. I knocked quietly on the pale blue door, and slowly opened it. My mom lay on the bed to the far right, my brother and sister on two seperate beds opposite from her. Mom was sound asleep, but my siblings were wide awake.

"Sis!" My little sister cried happily at the sight of me. "I missed you! Where were you? I thought you'd be the first to see us when we woke up!"

"Did you get knocked on the head or something?" I rapped my knuckles on her head. "Since when have you missed me? Whatever. I got you a present." I handed her a box that I boughtat the bazaar on the way here.

She eagerly opened it and squealed with delight when she discovered its contents. "CHEESE! My favorite! Thanks, Sis!"

"Yo, bro!" I walked nonchalantly to my brother, who was quietly taring at me, a slight glint of hope and threat in his eyes. "I got you something, too, don't worry. Here!" I flung him a couple of peaches, his favorite. "How long has Mom been asleep?"

"Oh, you know how she is," my brother rolled his eyes. "She goes in ad out every now and then. She's gonna be like this until someone gets her out of bed. Whenever she gets comfortable, she's never moves."

"Well, I got her some chocolate," I produced a long, short, red box from my bag and set it on the table next to her bed. "I thought you guys might like something other than hospitle food. I hear it tastes like rubber."

"And plastic!" My sis chimed in, swallowing the last of the cheddar cubes to move on to the mozzarella cubes.

"The homeless shelter has better food than this place," my brother snorted. "But I guess the government cares more about the homeless than the people who're gonna die anyway."

"Hey, don't say that!" I yelled at him.

"Oh, by the way, who's that guy behind you?" my brother pointed over my shoulder.

Up until now, Inukami had been completely forgotten. I didn't even think of introducing him. And my sister seemed to be too absorbed in her cheese to care. "Oh, he's Inukami, some doggy I picked up in the Rock country. Nothing more."

Inukami gave me a pouty face a that last comment, but I ignored him.

_You're family seems nice. _

'Almost too nice. Do you think they had mental damage?'

_Oh, come off it, Misa! You love your family and they love you too! Since you're stuck living with each other all the time, you grow irritated of each other. That's how it'd be with anyone. Since they just nearly died, they've come to realize how much they trul cherish each other and you. If you died tomorrow, don't you agree that'd you regret not being nicer to them? Spending more time together. _

'Yeah, yeah! Don't lecture me. You don't even have a family!'

_Yes I do. Orochimaru and my mother are my family. Even if they are dead, that doesn't break the bond between us. We are, and shall forever be, related. _

'Sometimes, I think you're too mature for your age.'

_Oh, I'm hardly mature. Now there's somethin you want to ask your family, isn't there?_

"Hey, Bro," I spoke quieter, as he examined my face. His cool eyes staring endlessly. He always had that cold expression about him, but he couldn't help it. It's just how he is. "Say, hypothetically, you had four cats. One of the cats, however has a disease, and if you don't get rid of it, they other three will catch it and die, but the first cat won't. What would you do? Would you kill the first cat to save the other three?"

He stared at me with a calm expression, his brotherly instinctints telling him that this 'hypothetical' question was very serious. "Well, I'd say I'd get rid of the disease. Find a cure. That way, I can have all four cats. That first cat did nothing wrong by being a carrier. He couldn't have had anything to do with it, so therefore, he doesn't deserve to die, on behalf of the others. The real source of the problem is the disease, so why needlessly make a sacrifice?"

I stared at him, wide-eyed. The answer was so simple. There was no need to make a sacrifice, I just needed to get rid of the source. I smiled as this tormoil within my heart had been ceased. "Thanks, Bro," I began to walk to the door. "Tell Mom I droppedby when she wakes up."

"Leaving so soon? Ok then. Bye." My brother waved with a cool smile.

My sister looked up from her now empty box and waved energetically. "Bye, sis! Bring me some more next time!"

I walked out the door and briskly down the hall. I felt a lot better now that I had a goal in mind. Just listlessly following everyone around wasn't helping.

'The one who's been ordering the masked guy is someone called Deidara, right?'

_So it seems. Planning to attack Deidara?_

'You've read my mind. And I've got a plan.'

_We're going to need to use Naruto after all, huh?_

'But not after a little research. I need to know everything about Deidara, before I'm to confront him.'

_I can't believe you're even _considering_ going against an Akatsuki member! There's no way your'e strong enough!_

'Want to bet?'

_You're on!_

I stopped abruptly outside the streets, causing Inukami to collide into my back. He looked at me curiously. "Miss Misa?"

I turned to him with a bright grin and said, "Doggy, we're going on a hunt."

* * *

Gaara glared back at me from behind his desk. I had forced Inukami to stand outside of the office, with much effort, so he wouldn't try to do exactly what Gaara was doing now.

"You're not going to do anything rash, are you?" he raised a non-existant eyebrow.

"Of course not!" I lied through my teeth. "Since we're plunging head-first into this war. I'd like to know about my opponent, should I ever face him."

"If something like that ever happens, the only advice I can give you is to run," Gaara sighed.

"But you personally fought Deidara!" I protested. "I need to know what I'm running from, if that's how it's gonna be. You must know something!"

The Kazekage gave one last sigh before he succumbed to my nagging. "Deidara uses clay to create 'works of art.' He does this by eat some clay from a pouch with a mouth in his palms. What he produces are statues of all sizes, and each are under his control. They also have an explosive power that he can ignite at any moment he wishes. When I fought him, he created a giant bird statue that could fly, so I'm sure any of his other forms of art have different abilities as well. From what I can gather, he seems to have a hot-headed personality and likes to boast."

"Hmm, I see," I muttered aloud, my brain processing all this new information. "Well, then, Lord Kazekage, I'm going to request leave to journey ot Konoha."

Gaara looked up at me curiously, his chin resting on the back of his folded hands. "You're not legally a ninja. You're technically a civilian, so you can leave as long as you have a travel visa, so you don't need to ask permission. Why do you want to go there, anyway?"

"Sarafu wants to see Mr. Kyo and I'd like to as well." It wasn't a lie. I did plan on meeting with Mr. Kyo when I got there.

"Fine, but be careful, I'll send a jounin to es-"

"Gaara, I'm not a kid," I glowered at him. "I can manage myself fully. I haven't been training for fun, you know. The only people I have to worry about are the Akatsuki. The journey here to Konoha should be free of any danger I can't handle."

"You're right," Gaara recoiled from the firmness of my words. "Sorry to offend you. When are you returning?"

"If all goes well, a week from now."

"Very well then, be off. Oh, and Misa..."

"Yes?"

"Be safe." He said that last line with such a heart-wrenching smile, that I felt like he knew I was lying. His words held a sorrowful wave about them, and I couldn't help but feel the guilt from my lies.

_You had no choice. If you told him, he never would've let us go. He seems to baby us so much. _

'I think he's afraid of losing you again. That's why he keeps not letting me go on any missions or do anything without an escort.'

_Deep down, he's just a big ol' softie. _

Inukami immeadiately followed me, after I had walked out of Gaara's office. I knew he had been listening through the door. Doggy's curiousity was the greatest in the world.

_Do you think we should trust him with this information? If he's gonna follow us to Konoha, he'll inevitably learn of our plan._

'Even if I tell him to stay, he'll just follow me in secret, anyway. Besides, it's only Doggy. What's he gonna do? Go run off to Akatsuki and spoil our plans?'

_True. But what about when we're executing the plan? There's no way he can survive in the midst of the battle, even with his 'Dog-charming' powers. _

'I'll just tie him to a pole or something, or lock him up in a kennel and retrieve him later.'

I quickly had my things packed, and since Inukami held no other possession than his Siberian Husky, he was already ready to go. With Luna tied to my belt, I headed out into the world beyond Suna.


	26. Tobi's Plea

**A/N: **Finally, the chapter to change them all has arrived! I know I promised a battlewith Deidara, but then a great new idea came that would mean for Misa not to see the fight. Gomen. Anywho, enjoy this long chapter and be eagerly awaiting the next!

**Tobi's Plea**

_Hey, Misa, did I ever teach you summons?_

'No. What's a summon? Sounds like something out of an RPG.'

_Heheh. Well, most advanced ninjas can make a pact with a summon monster, and can summon a certain type of monster. I'm not sure how many there are in all, but you can summon all of that type as much as you want, if you can handle it. _

'What kinds of summons are there?'

_Oh, well, for example, Kakashi has a dog summon , Naruto, a frog, Temari has a panther, and I had dragons. _

'Dragons?! Seriously?! That's cool! I want one.'

_That's what I plan on doing. However, the scroll was with my body when I died, so I no longer have the scroll to make the pact. But there is a way to get it. I just need to summon Gonko, one of my dragons, and he can get one for me. _

'So, you'll be needing control then, huh?'

_Yeah, since I'm the one that made the pact. You doing anything would just be useless. I'll teach you how to summon after I do the pact. _

'Ok.'

I could feel myself being kicked out and saw the eyes on my body transform to those golden pupils that belonged to Sarafu. She stopped our run, and turned to the strangely quiet Inukami.

"_Hey, Inukami, we're going to stop for a while, there's something I need to do_," Sarafu told him through my body, and he obliged.

Inukami had been acting very strange lately. He had this semi-serious air about him, as though he was only trying to act carefree. He didn't blabber as much as usual, and he didn't question what I was doing. More importantly, now, he wasn't questioning why my eyes suddenly changed or why I called him Inukami instead of "Doggy." 'Suspicious.'

Sarafu did a couple of handsigns before she said, "_Kuchiyose no jutsu!_" A large cloud of smoke exploded around. The wind cleared the smoke awy to reveal a small, gecko-like lizard. He was a dark brown, and looked around with wide eyes. He surprisingly didn't hae any wings, as I expected all dragons to have.

"_Gonko,_" Sarafu addressed the little lizard as he climbed up to her arm. "_I need you to get a pact scroll for me._"

"Sure thing," he replied in an unsurprisingly squeaky voice. "Is it for the girl?"

"_Yeah."_

Gonko jumped into the air, curled into a ball and exploded into smoke again. When the dust had settled, he was sitting ontop of a giant scroll. Sarafu dismissed Gonko and laid the scroll down on the ground. She rolled it out. There were various marks in some old kanji that I couldn't discern. Amidst all the marks, there was an absence of them in the form of a circle in the middle of the parchment.

Sarafu took out a kunai and pricked my thumb and spread the blood all over my palm.

'Woah! What are you doing?!'

_The pact needs blood so that it recognizes you as its contractor. Now, take control and place your hand in the circle there. And that's it._

'That's all I got to do?'

_Yup. Simple, eh?_

The golden eyes everted to my hazel brown ones and I knelt next to the scroll. I placed my bleeding hand onto the circle, stamping a handprint on the parchment. After words, I rolled the scroll back up, and with Sarafu's instruction, summonged Gonko. He was the easiest, since he was so small, but in battle, I'd need to summon a much stronger dragon.

"So, you're Misa?" Gonko crawled over me, examinging every angle.

"How' you-"

"Oh, we know everything that happens. We're extra terrestrial you know. You need me to take that scroll for ya?"

"Yeah," I stared at him, giddy at my first summoning, even if it was a bit small. "So, where do you go when you're not summoned?"

Gonko looked at me with his wide eyes and produced something of a smirk. "Lala Land." And then he was gone.

* * *

I didn't expect to bump into Naruto before ever reaching Konoha, but there he was, standing amidst people I knew and didn't know. They all wore black cloaks and looked very tense. This Fall had been very wet, so I could imagine their need. Gaara had even given me my own cloak, saying that the temperature should be dropping soon. 

I walked out into the open, waving warmly at them. "Hey, guys, pleasure meeting you here." I had been introduced to Hinata, who was amongst them, and from Sarafu's memories, felt like I had known her all along. Naruto wasn't in Konoha at the time, to have meet me, but he had met Sarafu. There was a man amongst them, whom neither Sarafu nor myself recognized and a large bulldog we recognized to be one of Kakashi's summons was with them as well.

"Oh, Misa!" Hinata exclaimed in surprise, her hand over her mouth. She was still as quiet and shy as Sarafu remembered her. "What are you doing here?"

"Honestly, I was on my way to Konoha to ask for Naruto," I didn't see the point in hiding my objective. "But since I've found him here, would it be alright if I borrow him?"

"Hey, Hinata, who's the chick? And the dude behind her?" Naruto asked Hinata through closed eyes.

'Rather rude, isn't he?'

_Yeah. I only met him once. People always say we were similar._

'They're right.'

Sarafu grumbled at my insult, but didn't retort.

"This is Misa, from Suna," Hinata introduced me to the sunny haired ninja. "I don't know who the other guy is though..."

"Oh, this is just a friend, his name is Inukami."

"Ah! I see. Well, she is currently sharing her body with Sarafu, do you remember her?"

"Sarafu? Yeah, sh-Wait a second!" Hinata's words finally dawned on him. "Did you say 'sharing a body'?!"

"Yeah, you might not have heard, but Sarafu died, possessed the body of a parrot, and then joined Misa."

"It's quite a complicated story," I scratched the back of my head. It was apparant that no one bothered with the details when talking to this guy. "But that doesn't matter now! Hinata, can I borrow Naruto?"

"What for?" Naruto answered for Hinata. "I'm busy looking for Sasuke, so-"

"Oh, don't worry! This'll be worth you're while. I'm sure you've heard of Akatsuki, correct?"

Now I had his attention. He opened his eyes to reveal crytalline blue orbs. "Yeah."

"Well, to make a long story short, Deidara from Akatsuki sent a messenger to threaten me to bring you to him, or else he'll kill my family. Well, I didn't want to sacrifice you just for my selfish reasons, but I didn't want to forfeit my family's life, either, so I just decided 'Why not get rid of the source of the problem?' So I thought, with your help, I could carry out a plan to lure Deidara out and snag him!"

Naruto looked at me with wide eyes. I guess the story was a bit weird to an outsider. But he let the surprise pass. "What's your plan?"

"You know how Deidara is a bomber, right? Well, I figured a simple way to beat him would simply to make him caught in his own trap. Not only does it hurt physically, but its gotta hurt the man's pride, to get caught in his own trap." I could feel a deep sense of blood lust rising within me. The thought of killing the man who threatened my family, along with his petty servant, making him write in pain, was very pleasing.

Naruto felt a little set back by my evil aura, but continued with the questions. "How do you suppose we do that?"

"It's simple. From what the Kazekage has told me about his match with Deidara, he's a long-range fighter. So he'll definitely try to plant mines and other sorts of explosive traps. Otherwise, he'll hurl some bombs at us while leading us into his traps. He'll chase aftr us, if we run, so we'll lead him around and into his own trap. If you know some Genjutsu, that'd be great."

"Sorry, not that great at it. You really think he'd fall for such an obvious trap?" Naruto doubted my ideas.

"Yes, if we take turns attacking him!" I held up a finger and winked. "I don't plan on just running around! We'll attack _while_ we run. That way, he's preoccupied with gaurding himself as well as trying to attack us. The fact that we're fighting back must give us the element of surprise."

"I don't know," the man, who until recently had remained silent, stepped forward. "You musn't underestimate him. Naruto has fought Deidara before, even when hey thought they had him then, he still came back. Do you really think you can foil an Akatsuki member with such a plan?"

"Yes!" I replied honestly, smiling.

"But why do you need me for this?" Naruto ignored the man's doubts. "Why don't you just do this yourself?"

"Are you kidding?!" I shouted at him. "A newbie ninja like me taking him on all on my lonesome? I'm not _that _confident in my plan! Besides, I need you as a lure to bring Deidara out. I have no idea where he is, but he wants me to give you to him. Of course, I'll do no such thing. I'm sure you'll be able to take him on, no problem."

"Naruto, this isn't wise," the man put his hand on Narut's shoulder. "Akatsuki is after you. You'll just be handing yourself over."

"Except we're going to fight and win!" I interjected, but he ignored me.

"You know you can't take them on your own."

"But _I'll_ be with him!"

"You only defeated Deidara with Kakashi's help."

"But you still defeated him!"

Naruto looked at the man squarely in the eyes. "Aren't we looking for Itachi, as well? I'll be facing Akatsuki anyway. At least its not Itachi, so I should be perfectly fine."

"Naruto!" Hinata sighed, gazing at him with admiration.

The man looked at Naruto and then sighed. "Alright, but we'll help, too. I'm here for a reason, you know."

Naruto nodded knowingly. While they discussed things over amongst themselves, I walked back to the oddly silent Inukami. His behavior these past few days disturbed me, but I saw nothing more than that. "Yo, Doggy," I brought him back from his distant gaze. "You heard everything, right?"

"Yes, Miss Misa," he gazed at me, his face blank, although I was sure that was because he didn't know what emotion to show me at the moment.

"So you must understand how dangerous this plan is? I don't want to take you with me. Not only might you get hurt, but you'll just be dead weight as well. You're going to have to remain behind."

"Alright."

I nearly fell backwards from the shock. I had expected a lengthy protest. He hasn't left my side willingly since we met. He was agreeing way too easily. "N-Now, don't you dare think of following me afterwards! If you plan to just-"

"I won't, Miss Misa," he smiled kindly at me. "I'll remain here as you command."

"Actually, I don't think its safe for you to just hang around in the middle of no where," I still eyed him suspiciously. "You should head back to Suna. That's closer than Konoha at the moment."

"Alright."

"You're really not going to follow me?"

"I won't, Miss Misa.I promise."

I frowned. He was promising now. Something was definitely up. But if he agreed so much, then I suppose there was nothing I could do.

* * *

After Inukami left obligingly, I haeded out with the others. Now that I thought about it, Deidara's servant never specified exactly _where_ I should bring Naruto. How was he going to know if I did it or not. 

_Maybe his masked servant has been spying on us, to see if we're following out his orders. I mean, he appeared in New Sora, didn't he?_

'You're right. But will he really know? If he has been spying on us, then he'll know about our plan right?'

_If that's true, then we might be walking into Deidara's trap._

'I'll find a way.'

"I think it's best if we rest here for now," the jounin leading the group spoke to us all, as he sat on a fallen log in a clearing. "We need to be fully refreshed when confronting him."

"When confronting who?" a voice called out from the sky.

We all turned around and looked up to find a giant white owl blocking the sun. 'That's not a real owl,I realized. 'It's a clay statue.'

"Deidara!" I realized.

Sure enough, I saw the familiar black coat atop the owl as it began to descend. As the owl came closer, I could make out his features. He had long blonde hair, which made me think he was a she, if not for his deep voice. A portion of the yellow hair was in a ponytail while the rest hung at th back of his neck. His bangs were pushed to the side so that it covered his left eye. He had a smug look on his surprisingly young face. Then I saw his masked servant standing idly next to him. Because of that orange mask on his face, I couldn't make out what his expression was, but the way he stood gave off an air of uneasiness.

"Good job, Misa," Deidara chuckled as his bird landed with a thud on the ground. "You brought the Kyuubi to me. And even told him you were going to defeat me! How lush!"

_'How lush?' Don't tell me he's gay!_

"We _are_ going to defeat you!" I retorted. "You won't bother anyone ever again!"

Deidara let out an unrestrained laugh. "You actually think that _you_ can defeat _me?_ Oh, that's lush! Even the Kyuubi doesn't have a chance against me, let alone these little pawns you brought with you."

"I guess that means the plan's useless," Naruto sighed quietly to us.

"If that's the case, looks like we'll need your help after all," I whispered to Hinata, never taking my eyes of the Akatsuki duo.

"Now, hand over the Kyuubi," Deidara ordered, his smile gone.

"Like hell!" I shouted back, taking out Luna.

"Fine then," Deidara sighed. "Tobi, let's get ready."

If my hands weren't so tightly clutching Luna, I just might have dropped them. My heart felt as if it was being clutched tightly. I suddenly felt weaker than paper. "D...Doggy?"

The masked Akatsuki member faced me in silence. "I'll handle her, sempai."

"Is she even worth your time?" Deidara snorted. "Whatever, I can handle these guys without you anyway." He put his hands into two different bags, and took them back out. He threw a couple of what looked like little clay spiders that exploded in our faces. Dirt exploded into the air, but I could still make out a figure close to me.

I followed it through the dirt, clutching Luna tightly. Before I knew it, the trees fell away behind me and the sound of falling water reached my ears. The grass became dirt and a very steep cliff lay before me. I searched for a sign of the masked figure I had been following.

"Miss Misa," the words came from behind me, and I flicked around to find the orange mask peering blankly at me.

"You bastard," I growled.

"Miss Misa, I'm really so-"

I thrust Luna towards his neck, but he dodge it so that it only grazed his cheek, theaving a bleeding gash. Luna came hurtling back towards my upraised hand. "You lied to me again!" I shouted, my eyes burning dangerously. "Again! You were behind all of this! You...You! You nearly killed my family!"

"If I hadn't Deidara-sempai would've!" He protested. "I did it so they wouldn't get killed. I didn't touch a hair on _your_ head though!"

"THEY'RE IN THE HOSPITAL, YOU SICK, TWISTED BASTARD!!"

"Yes, but you're safe at least!"

"You say that like it's an excuse!" I felt like ripping my hair out. How could I have ever trusted ushc an unworthy, mangey dog like this! "You've been spying on me this whole time! Had a good laugh at my misfortune, did you? Thought it'd be funny to watch me do your bidding as you dangled my family's lives in my face?!"

"No! No, I'd never do that, Miss Misa!" He removed the mask from his face to reveal his regretful, boyish face. "I'd never do such a thing. I..."

It was difficult to hate him with as much ferocity as before now that his puppy-like eyes were gazing at me. 'I musn't fall into his trap again. To think I was actually beginning to like him.' "You did all those things...you even laughed at my face. You even dare to beg for forgiveness now? You have a mental disorder or something?"

"I couldn't go against Deidara-sempai!" He pleaded, taking a step closer. "I admit, at first, I simply treated it like a trivial task, but after I met you, Miss Misa, I truly regretted attacking your family."

"You're lying through your teeth!" I shouted back at him. 'Stop being so nice. You're making it hard to hate you.' "Has anything you said held the slightest bit of truth?"

I may have lied in the past, but what I'm speaking now is the truth!" he took another step closer. "I have spent my happiest days with you! I-I like you, Miss Misa! If I could go back on my actions, I would! Please believe me!" Another step.

He was close enough now that I could reach out and hug him. His watery eyes oppressed my lungs, making my words not as harsh and indignant as I would wish them to be. My eyes began to water. "How can I believe you now? You already betrayed my trust once. As I said before, relationships are built upon trust. And you lost all of mine."

"If words won't get through to you..." He began, his painful expression wringing my heart. Before I could issue a word of demurral, his lips closed over mine, so that I couldn't breath. His hands clawing into my shoulders.

"S-stop!" I pushed him back, but in the motion, my heels rolled behind me, so that I fell backward and over the edge of the cliff.


	27. Whispers of the Past

**A/N: **Thank you for all the reviews, my lovely readers! Reading your reviews is what's spurred me to continue making this story! Thank you all! bows Enjoy!

**Whispers Of The Past**

I woke up not knowing who I was or where I was. I was lying on a pile of blankets, with another one on top of me. I observed my surroundings and found myself in a neat, average house. The room was empty except for a few instruments and jars lying next to me. I recognized them to be tools of medicine, though. as to what their function was, I couldn't discern.

To my left, I saw a window. A young girl with with jaw length chocolate hair and chestnut eyes was staring curiously back at me. Her clothes were ruffled and dirtied, and she had a stressed look about her. I stood up and walked towards the window, as the girl walked towards me, as well. I reached out my hand to touch the window, and the girl mimicked my moves. We touched the glass at the same time, and then I noticed that this window did not open to the outside. A room, exactly like the one I was in lay behind the girl, along with a pile of blankets and...

'This is a mirror,' I realized. 'This girl is me.'

I stared at my hand, feeling that it felt awfully empty. I jumped when I heard the sound of the door opening behind me. An elderly woman with a variety of beads hanging from her neck stepped in. Her clothes were sun-faded but nicely pressed. She squinted her eyes so much that it looked like she closed her eyes all the time. Her silver hair was thinning and tied into a small bun, but some hairs escaped.

"Ah, she's awake!" she called out into the room she had just entered from.

A young man, about my height entered the room eagerly. His wide, black eyes gazed at me, relief evident. He had messy, spiked hair the color of coal, and a sort of puppy look about him. He grinned broadly at me, which made me extremely nervous. Who were these people?

"Misa! Are you ok? Does it hurt anywhere?" He ran up to me spouting a hundred words a minute.

"Uh..."

"Tobi, calm down!" the old woman smacked him against the back of the head. "You're frightening the poor girl! Now, Missy, how are you?"

"Um..great...I guess...where am I?"

"You're at the Homitsu Clinic," the bright eyed boy answered. "After you fell off the cliff, I brought you here."

"I fell off a cliff?!" I exclaimed. "That must've hurt! Am I okay?"

"That's what we're trying to ask you," Tobi sighed.

The old woman, however, frowned and took a step closer to examine me. "Girl, what is your name?"

"Name? It's...well, now that you mention it, I don't know. I...I don't know anything. I try to remember, but...its just all black."

"As I feared," the woman sighed. "It appears the bonk on her head has caused her to experience amnesia. Her brain got a good rattling."

"Well, what should we do?" Tobi demanded of the old woman.

"There are no medicines for this," the old woman sighed. "It's a miracle she didn't get a concussion. We can only wait for her brain to sort things out itself. Send her back here once a month, just for check-ups. It's best we monitor this closely, in case she received any other mental damage. She can go for now."

The old woman walked through the doorway and disappeared, leaving me with the wide-eyed boy. He walked closer to me, which made my hart flutter for some reason. He had a pained expression on his face.

"Do you really not remember what we..umm..discussed yesterday?"

"No...did something happen?"

His face flushed at this question. "N-No, not really. Well then, I suppose you'll want to be filled in on some things?"

"Yeah, it'd be helpfull."

"Well, not here," Tobi grabbed my hand, pulling me along. "I'm sure you're hungry, right?"

Now that he mentioned it...

Tobi, after washing my clothes at Homitsu Clinic, took me to the food court ofthe town. Wherever we were, it was well populated. Since it was a little after noon, the food court was especially crowded. Tobi took me to a nice, although slightly meager, ramen booth. I scarfed down the noodles and slurped up the broth eagerly. I didn't realize how hungry I was. It felt like I hadn't eaten in days.

"So...where should I start?" Tobi mused when we had filled our stomachs.

"How about with my name. You called me Misa."

"Ah, yes, you're name is Misa. You never told me your last name, so I don't know that. Umm...you're from Suna. You have a single mother, I have no idea what happened to your father, you have an older brother and a younger sister. although you're not officially a ninja, you do have some skills. Oh, yes! That reminds me! Here's Luna." He handed me a strange looking weapon. It was a pair of blades that had been curled into rings.

"'Luna'?"

"Ah, yes, its your weapon. It's technically called the Moon Chakram, so I guess that's why you called it Luna."

"I looked up from the weapon. "How do you know all this?"

He shot me a dashing smile as he leaned his chin on his hand. "I did some research. Anyway, there are many ninja countries in this continent. I'll show you a map later. Each country holds a hidden village, where all the ninjas are raised and disciplined. And each village has the number one ninja, called their kage, lead the village. The kage's word is law, and any treason, for whatever matter, can get you kicked out of the village, and made a renegade ninja in the bingo book.

"I'm a member of Akatsuki, a group of elite renegade ninjas. Ah!, but don't worry, I didn't commit any crimes or whatever. I was comissioned in. You can usually tell what village a ninja is fro by their fore-head protector, but some will where it elsewhere, or not at all, so don't always rely on that."

We continued the conversation, as we walked through the streets, sometimes going in circles, not paying attention to where we were idly strolling. Before I knew it, we arrived at an inn. It was meager, the walls looked like they might collapse if you blew on them, and I heard the faint sound of scratching within the walls. We shared a single room, with two cots and a dusty window. It made me wish I was back at the Homitsu Clinic.

"Sorry, but I'm low on money," Tobi smiled apologetically. "I'll rob someone later, so we can have a nicer place to stay."

I wasn't sure if he was joking about that, so I just nodded while staring through the dust to the outside. The sun was beginning to set, creating a soft orange glow, filtered through grey. Birds sung in the trees as the wind rattled against the window, whispering...

_Misa..._

I turned around. Tobi was making the beds, dusting them off and such. Otherwise, the room was silent. It sounded as if someone standing right next to me had called my name.

_Misa..._

There it was again. I wiped the window clean and searched for any sign of life, but no living soul made noise outside the window either. Was I hearing things, or were they whispers of the past, trying to abscond to my conciousness.

'It doesn't matter,' I shook my head. 'I just need some rest. So much has happened today. My brain must be imagining things.'

* * *

I watched Tobi pull on his black coat with red cloud prints. I handed him a complementary donut from the reception hall, and he ate it gratefully. "I've got a meeting to go to, so you just remain here, ok?" He buttoned up the collar. "Don't go outside, and don't let anyone see you, alright?"

"Why not?" I was goin to be stuck in this cooped up dustbin?

He smiled apologetically at me. "I'll explain when I get back, but for now, just lay low? Please?"

"...okay..." I fell onto the bed, unable to hold back the pout in my face. He gave me another sorry smile and put an orange mask over his face and left. I heard the click of the lock, and sighed as his footsteps on the creaking wood died away.

"If only I had some paint, then I could watch it dry," I rolled my eyes. What the hell was I supposed to do in this dusty old room with only a couple of beds? I bounced a little as the bed gave a threatening squeak. "And it doesn't look like they're stable enough for me to jump on."

I walked over to the dusty window, the spot where I had wiped it clean stil evident. My depressed sigh escaped me. Why couldn't I go outside? I was going to choke from the dust in this room.

_Well, if you're so bored, you could just clean the place. Kill two birds with one stone._

"Who's there?" I flung around. No one in the room. I turned around to glare out the window. No one outside. Where was this voice coming from?

_Inside your head, of course. _

"I'm...hearing voices? You mean I'm some mental freak?" I shouted out into the room.

_There's no need for you to use your mouth. Just voice the thoughts with your mind._

"Like..." 'Like this?'

_Good. I'm glad we had this little review. It's about time you finally stopped ignoring me._

'What are you talking about? Didn't I just create you when I fell off the cliff?'

_Pssh! Don't give yourself so much credit! You don't have the brain capacity to create an entire life on your own. No, I am an entirely different entity. I'm possessing you, you could say. My name is Sarafu. Nice to meet you...again. _

'_Again?_ We've met before?'

_Like I said, you didn't create me. We've known each other long before you're little fumble down the cliff. Instead of telling you about it, why don't we just make you remember?_

'But I've tried! I can't remember a thing. I get this hazy feeling of deja vu sometimes, but...'

_You're not remembering, because you don't _want _to remember. You've locked them deep within your subconciousness. I've been trying to unlock it all this time, but this is your head, not mine. I'm just your roommate. You need to unlock it yourself. _

For some reason, I got a cold, unsettling feeling in my stomach. 'H-How do I do that?'

_You will it. It's _your_ head after all._

'But how do I _will_ it?'

_You really don't remember a thing, do you? _

Under Sarafu's instruction, I began "will" training, trying to scour through the labyrinth of the human mind. Before I had realized it, the sun had set, and a dark shade of purple fell upon the sky. The room became dark and I flipped on the light switch. Had I been sitting there, this whole time? I stood up and nearly fell to my knees. My legs had been getting no circulation, since I had been sitting cross-legged this whole time.

I nearly jumped when I heard a knock on the door. I had become so accustomed to the silence that even this faint knock made me nearly wet myself. I smiled eagerly. 'Tobi's home! Finally!'

I ran, as fast as my wobbly legs would carry me, and durned the dulled metal knob. As the door swung open, my heart dropped. The person standing before, was in that familiar black and red coat, but it was not Tobi. It was a woman I had never seen before with long blonde hair and bangs that covered her left eyes.

"It's been a while, Misa," the deep voice resonated from her throat.

'Oh, my god! It's a man!'

"Tobi is foolish to believe he could hide something from me," the very effiminate man snorted. "After running off when I tried to capture the Kyuubi, causing him to escape, he still tries to hide things from me. I should teach him a lesson."

_Oh, no! It's Deidara! Run!_

I turned around, ready to leap out the window, but these strange clay statues blocked my path. When did they get here? When one of them grabbed my wrist, I realized that these were no ordinary statues. I struggled to get free, but it was to no avail. The statue gripped me so tightly, it was though it had been made around my wrist. I turned back around to find Deidara's vicious leer. I was trapped.


	28. Homeland

**A/N: **Alrighty, folks! Secrets are unravelled and Misa is captured...again.

**Homeland**

I had been whisked away to some strange, rocky country, where only a few trees survived. Deidara, whom Sarafu told me had the ability to create explosive sculptures, created a giant owl, and he flew off with me wrapped in its tail. When we landed on the solid rock, the owl's tail uncurled, causing me to fall flat on my face.

"Ow, what the heck?" I rubbed my aching nose. "What's your problem, bub? What the hell did you kidnap me for?"

"Were you not listening to me earlier?" The sandy haired Akatsuki membr glared at me vexingly. "I'm going to punish Tobi for trying to hide something from me!"

"What was he trying to hide from you?"

"You, obviously! Are you an idiot?!"

_Yes._

'Hey!'

"Who the heck are you anyway?" I crossed my arms. "From that outfit, you're in Akatsuki. Aren't you supposed to be at a meeting right now?"

"It ended just a while ago," Deidara replied. "I sent Tobi on a little mission to keep him occupied while I mess with you."

"Who are you to give Tobi orders?"

"You hit your head or something? I'm his sempai, remember? He's just a newbie in our organization."

'Was this something I was supposed to know?'

_Yeah. You were fighting Deidara when you fell off the cliff. Well, you weren't fighting Deidara, you were fighting Tobi._

"Why would I fight Tobi?" I exclaimed aloud.

Deidara looked at me oddly, but then he smiled. "Are you talking with Sarafu? Probably discussig your escape, I'd imagine. But there's no escaping from me!" He held up his hand, and I shuddered to fin that there was a mouth on it. The grotesque mouth spat out some sticky clay at me, which hurtled me back to one of the many elevated walls of rock, and covered my entire body, excluding my head, so that I couldn't move.

"I wonder how he'll react when I return you in pieces?" Deidara chuckled, hands in his pockets as he walked, almost skipped, by. "Or maybe I should just return your head, covered in your tears from the pain."

"Do you have a limb fetish or something?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'd prefer to remain as I am, thank you very much. I'd also appreciate it if you'd return me to my room. If Tobi founds that I disobeyed him and left the room, he won't be very pleased."

I blinked and found a kunai flying past my cheek and sinking itself into the rock behind me.

"I don't think you realize the situation you're in!" Deidara spat, his eyes gleaming viciously. "I hold your life in my hands! I may do with you as _I _please. If I want you to return late and in chunks, you'll return late and in chunks! Got it, brat?"

"How come you get to decide?" I protruded my lower lip. "What make you so special?"

Deidara let out a yell of frustration. "I am the one with the weapons, you are the one trapped to the wall! I can kill you anytime I want! I am the one in control here!"

"Who died and made you king?"

Deidara looked like he might rip my head off then and there.

_Good job, Misa. Tick him off so that he ends up killing us._

"I just want to know why he's acting like he owns the world?" I thought aloud. "He pins me to a wall and then uses this as an excuse to say he's in charge? This is blasphemy. I didn't vote for him to be leader."

Deidara's fist made contact with my cheek, and before I could cough up the blood formed by my now busted lip Deidara grabbed a hand full of my hair and pulled it forward. "Shut the fuck up!" He snarled into my ear. "I will seriously kill you if you don't shut up now! Whether you live or die matters not to me! All I care about is seeing you in pain and broken so that Tobi will realize how foolish it is to hold someone precious when you're a renegade ninja!"

He ended his speech by spitting on my face, which was really gross since I couldn't wipe it off. I tried nuzzling my head onto my shoulder, but that only smeared it. "That wasn't very nice!"

"When did I ever have the notion of being a nice person?" Deidara sighed. My idiotic musings were beginning to wear him out mentally.

"Well, if you won't be nice, then I will!" I snorted. "So, you say you want to break me. Well, I'm afraid that's quite impossible since I'm already broken."

"What do you mean?"

"I fell down a cliff and bonked my head!" I told him. "I have no recollection of the past before that point. To break me would be to make me mentally unstable, but I'm already a psychological mess anyway. I've only just now recognized Sarafu."

Deidara tapped his foot and rubbed his chin in thought. Had I just saved myself? Would he give up?

"Ah! I know! I see now," Deidara grinned mischeviously. "If I bring your memories back, that'll hurt Tobi. He likes the broken you more, because you don't remember what he did to you. Yes, if you remember, you'll hate him, and that'll crush him!"

"But how are you going to do that?" I questioned him. "I've been trying to remember this whole time, and even I can't seem to remember."

"Maybe...maybe if I show you to your family," Deidara mused. "Maybe after you see the state they're in, you'll remember." Deidara put his hand on the clay restraining me, and that freakish second mouth of his ate it. However, it spout out a monkey sculpture that latched itself onto my front, arms around my chest.

"Just a little leverage," Deidara explained. "You try to run away, and I'll detonate him. Just a warning. This ain't no exploding tag. That's my C-2 art. You won't be recognizeable after I detonate that."

I nodded. Now I had to tread carefully, or else he might accidentally blow me up in his rage. "Can I not ride the way I came. It's quite uncomfortable. I think you'll know I won't try to escape in the air with a monkey bomb attached to my chest."

Deidara gave a smirk and then helped me onto the giant owl sculpture. We flew all night long. Tired, and knowing Deidara wouldn't anything to me while I remained like this, I fell asleep, head nestling on the owl's wing joints.

I awoke when the surface beneath me gave a sudden jolt. I rolled off the back of the the owl and hit hard ground. I coughed as a disgusting grain came into my mouth. I opened my mouth to find myself in a desert.

_Home, sweet home._

"Get up, it's time to go," Deidara ordered, looking down at me with contempt.

I scrambled up, dusting the sand out of my clothes. The mid-morning rays pouring over the dunes of sand, illuminating the beige walls of Suna. It was rather cold, since the heat had escaped the conductive sand last night. "You're not going to go in like that, are you?" I asked on Sarafu's behalf, since she seemed so stunned.

Deidara gave a haughty snort. "Of course not. Although, even if I revealed myself, no one would be able to do anything about it, not even Gaara, but I don't feel like going through the trouble. No, I'll be following you, don't worry. So don't even think of trying anything funny."

"Of course not," I sighed. I just lost my memories, not my sanity.

_I'll show you the way. So don't worry about finding your way there._

'Thanks.'

I walked up to the large crack that ran through the walls of Suna, the only entrance. There were multiple gaurds stationed around the entrance. Some in high places, some on the ground. I found it amazing how high the barricade rose. Some of the guards gave a start when they noticed me.

"Ah! It's Misa!" one with a white turban wrapped around his head came up to me, all smiles. "You sure did take your time. What took you so long?"

_Tell him that Naruto had left for a mission when we arrived at Konoha, so we had to go search for him. _

"Umm..Naruto left for a mission when I arrived at Konoha, so I had to go searching for him."

"Where's the little guy you had with you?"

I couldn't ascertain as to the reason my heart hurt at this question, so I ignored it.

_He was planning on leaving for the Grass Country. I was just to escort him part way. He won't be returning._

"He was planning on leaving for the Grass Country. I was just to escort him part way. He won't be returning."

"Ah, I see. Such a shame. You always looked so happy when you were with him. Com to think of it, you're only friends are Gaara and his family, right? I only ever see you speaking with them."

_Actually, you were really only friends with Gaara. You hardly ever spoke with Kankurou, and Temari, although she was only looking after you, was strict with you. Now that's it's spoken aloud, Gaara and I truly are your ownly friends._

'And Tobi. Don't forget about him.'

"Shall I tell lord Kazekage of your return?"

"Ah, no. I'll speak with him myself," I replied automatically. Even I knew that notifying the Kazekage of my arrival with an Akatsuki member tailing me wasn't a good idea.

"Alright, then," the guard smiled as he stepped aside for me to pass. "See you around."

"Yeah, see ya," I smiled nervously at the stranger and walked in.

Suna didn't look like much of a desert city on the inside. Although everything was a haze of tan, the buildings were as, if more, majestic than the buildings I saw in the previous city where I awoke. Most buildings had domes and circular windows, making the place unlike any I had ever seen.

'It's rather...cool, actually. This is very unique architecture. I think I like this place.'

_Even after amnesia, you still can't refuse your home town. You feel very comfortable and-_

'at home. I feel as if...I've finally come home. Although I can't remember this place very much, no names and such, I still _feel_ like I'm where I belong.'

_Your homeland will call to you, no matter what happens. After all, you are still you, right? _

I smiled. 'Right.'

Sarafu guided me through the busy streets of the desert town, and into the hospital doors. The inside was much different from the outside, excluding that everything was smooth. The place was white, instead of the idrty beige, and had a sterile look about it. I could even taste the chemicals in my mouth.

_Left._

I turned down a corrridor, the occaisional nurse and patient passing me. It was rather empty, although the buzzing artifical lights gave you the need to hustle about.

_Stop, it's this room._

I looked to my left to find a pale, brown door. The small slit of glass in the door did not provide much of a view inside, so I had no choice but to open the door. There were four beds, one of them empty. To my right lay a husky woman, his brown hair rough and curled about her face. Even in her sleep, she had a stern look about her. To my left, was a little girl, awake and wide-eyed. Her sandy colored her hair poofed about her. She probably hadn't seen a brush in a while. Farther back in the room was a sleeping teenage boy with sandy hair like his sister, just darker.

"Sis! You're back," the young girl exclaimed, ready to clamber out of bed. "I'll wake the others!"

"No! Don't!" I exclaimed in fright. I already felt awkward in front of this little girl, I didn't need the persceptive adults to stare curiously at me. "Let them rest."

"The girl returned obediently to her bed and smiled up at the girl with admiration. "The doctor said we were nearly healed! Mom said that since the injuries were so substantial, they had to let them naturally heal, or they wouldn't be back to their original state. But, its been about two weeks, and we can finally leave in three days, after a check-up! Aren't you excited? I am! I've been so sick of reading the same magazines five times over and watching lame shopping networks and foreign dramas. They aren't good in our language, so why would they be good in some other language? Hey, what's with that monkey on your chest? Is it some sort of pack? Do you have it on backwards? I've heard that's the latest fashion: wearing things backwards."

The little girl continued on, her mouth going a mile a minute, but I was only glad. With her yapping on like this, it required nothing but my stare. When I finally became agitated with her and realized that she wa never going to shut up, I stopped her and bid her farewell. I closed the door behind me silentl and sighed.

"No dice," I said into the open, though I wasn't sure if Deidara heard. I ws still a bit queasy. It was weird to pretend to be a total stranger's family.

I waited for a while, wondering what to do next, since Deidara didn't appear to be giving me any sign of another order yet. I decide to head back to the lobby. When I turned the corner, I accidentally bumped into a black figure. The collision caused the hood of his cloak to fall back and reveal his face. He looked almost exorably like a she, although I felt that I knew somewhere deep within me, I knew this person was a man. He looked back at me, his mouth open in shock.

_Sai!_

It came like a wave, crashing onto my brain mercilessly. Thousands of images flashed before my eyes. Pictures of the moon, of a young, blue-haired woman, of a silvery dragon. A red-haired boy, a black, serpentine man, a white-haired girl with demonic red eyes. The force of years upon my head caused a massive headache that brought me to my knees, clutching my head so tightly that I nearly ripped out my hair.

"These...are they...?" I spoke through clenched teeth, the pain making my words hoarse. "No..it's _her _memories."

Then it finally came to the memory of him. Of his lecherous eyes scouring my body, slowing moving down my chest.

"Aaaaarrrgghh!" Tears were filling my eyes, my head felt like it was about to explode.

I felt my vision go black, and a ringing in my ears. If only the pain would stop. The tears trickled down the isde of nose as I curle into a ball. "Gaa...ra," I moaned pitesously.


	29. The Return Of Sai

**A/N: **Our favorite little rapist is back!

**The Return of Sai**

With my head feeling as though it were filled with snot, and the trobbing pain the only reminder of last night, I sat in an oddly comfortable bed. It was oddly comfortable because it wasn't even a bed, it was more like a cot. Some wireframing with a sad excuse for a matress flung on top, wrapped in sheets and garnished with a blanket. From the view of the window next to my bed, it seemd as though I had slept through the entire day. And I felt strangely light...

I looked down to find the monkey sculpture gone. Had Deidara? Was I dead? No, if I was dead, my head wouldn't hurt this much. It felt like I had a serious hangover...not that I would know what that felt like. I froze when I heard footsteps on the rock floor and turned to find a man I recognized with malevolence and disgust.

"I removed that bomb from your chest," he explained. "It seems you had a running with Deidara."

"_Sai!_" I spat, my lip curling viciously. "What have you done with me? Where have you brought me?!"

"I brought you to my room at a motel," he answered calmly despite the overwhelming amount of murderous aura I was emitting. This was the man who had raped me-no, Sarafu. "I have done nothing to you. Believe me, I am as surprised to see you as you are me. Well, you might be more surprised. Frankly, I don't know what caused you to have such a reaction from seeing me. You don't seem to be poisoned or have any jutsu on affect..."

"No, I just remembered," I muttered disgracefully. Although it had not been my memories, at least some accomplishment was made, although images of that dreaded scene kept replaying in my head. Was this what Sarafu had locked deep with my brain?

_Now that Deidara no longer has any way to kill us, let's return to Gaara! He can contact Tsunade and she might be able to find a way to unlock your memories. _

'You said that I merely had to ill them back, remember? Besides, I want to return to Tobi, and there is no way in hell I'm going to pass up this chance to avenge you!'

_So...you remember?_

'Not my side of the story, but yours. Even then, I still want to get back at this guy. He is suh a...such a...'

_...prick?_

'Worse. There's just not a bad enough word to describe him!'

"How'd you escape jail?" I glared at him.

"A man named Kabuto rescued me. He also released some other prisoners, under the condition that we follow him. He claims to have Orochimaru in his body, although I always suspected that from the beginning."

_Father?_

"O-Orochimaru?" My dangerous leer left for the shock to replace it. "But...he's dead. Sasuke told me that he killed Dad himself!"

"Apparantly, he had been experimenting on this Kabuto guy."

"Anyone involved with Orochimaru is bound to become another one of his experiments," I growled. I hated this guy just so much as Sai. 'He's probably crazy enough to even experiment on himself.'

"Which brings me to the reason I'm in Suna, although you could rest assure that I'd be killed on sight," Sai continued in his apathetic manner, pulling back the hood from the black cloak he wore. "Kabuto is having difficulty restraining Orochimaru's spirit within his body. Since you and Sarafu coexist on a parallel plane, my master wishes to know how to ascertain this symbiotic relationship as well. At this rate, Orochimaru will completely take over his body. You, of all people, must not want this to happen, right?"

I frowned. "So what do you plan on doing with me then?"

"I plan on taking you to Master Kabuto, so that he may study your psychological manner and run some tests."

"In other words," I gripped my pillow tightly, "you plan on running experiments on me!"

"Some of it will be experimental, yes," Sai nodded, no emotion showing on his face, except cold rejection. "But Master Kabuto merely wishes to observe and figure out how this delicate balance is upheld. He would not be so foolish as to do something that might endanger your pyschological manner."

"My 'psychological manner' is already f'ed up enough as it is!" I snorted heavily and rolled my eyes. "I don't think I'll be of much use."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was writhing in pain at the sight of your face, it was because you had unlocked Sarafu's memories that had been sealed along with mine. However, only her side of the story was returned, so I'm practically Sarafu right now."

Sai put his finger to his chin in deep thought. "We'll let Master Kabuto decide if you are unworthy of his observation. I was simply ordered to bring you to him, willingly or not. If he sees that you are useless as you are now, he just might release you. Until then," he gave a dark look. "You'll just have to come with me."

"And if I refuse?" I lowered my hand to where my chakram were, and then, only realized that I had left them at the apartment, unable to grab them before Deidara kidnapped me. I was weaponless.

"Whether you go with me willingly or not doesn't matter," Sai replied, cracking his knuckles to emphasize his meaning. "You'll be going either way."

_I don't really see how we can escape. While we're traveling, we'll look for the right moment and make our get away!_

'But aren't you curious? Don't you want to see what's become of your father. You were so furious when you heard he'd died.'

_I was only furious that I hadn't killed him myself! Otherwise, I hold no other feelings towards that man!_

Even if Sarafu was going to deny it, I wouldn't. "Well, I'm not going to make a fuss." I got up out of the bed and straightened my clothes.

Sai held out his hand, and without hesitation, I took it as he lead me to the darkness.

* * *

I wasn't exactly sure the location of Kabuto's hideout. The only thing I saw on the way there were numerous trees. When we arrived at a small cavern opening I was beginning to have doubts about my decision to go quietly. I never liked caverns. You never knew what was inside and sometimes they could be lake a maze with all the tunnel work that went on down there, and worst of all, you never saw sunlight.

Sai turned to look at me staring apprehinsively at the cavern opening. "It's in here," he stated the obvious.

"No duh, Sherlock!" I snapped. That little bit of sarcasm helped to regain my composure and I made my way into the cavern. "Lead the way. I have no idea where we're going."

Sai nodded curtly and walked on ahead of me. I followed silently looking at the last rays of sunlight.

I was correct about the underground being a labyrinth. We turned left and right so many times, I lost sight of north or south, and I was pretty dang sure we were going in circles. Sai, however, lead the way confidently, not stopping to look down any of the paths. He just kept walking, and I just kept following.

After what felt like hours, he stopped in front of a rock door and knocked lightly. Without waiting for permissionm he turned the knob and swung the door aside. I was pushed into a moderately sized room, cramped with shelves of instruments and worktables. A white haired man in pale purple clothes gazed at me from behid wire-rimmed glasses. He would've appeared harmless if it wasn't for the right half of his face was covered in white scales and his left eye was a golden color with a single black slash running through the middle and what I thought to be purple eye shadow gone bad.

_Misa...can I...?_

'Yeah, sure. This is all about you, anyway.'

I could feel myself slipping out of my body, to become a wispy spirit. It still felt odd to watch myself from the outside. To see my hael brown eyes morph into a sharp gold. I payed less attention to myself and more to the weirdo smiling at us.

"Thank you, Sai, you may go now," the white haired four-eyes said over Sarafu's shoulder.

Sai bowed his head before closing he door behind him. His footsteps faded into the silence. Sarafu didn't look behind her to watch Sai leave. She never took her eyes off of that single serpentine eye. Her face was squished into a frown.

_"So you've overrun Kabuto already?" _she interrogated him.

"No," the white-haired man replied with a sly smirk. "I have control when he's sleeping. Living in a cave really messes up your hours."

_"Then did you send for us?" _

"No, Kabuto did," he sighed. "I have no intention of keeping a harmonious balance. He merely wants to use my power for his own will. No, I just happened to be lucky enough that he fell asleep just before you got here."

_"So, what do you want then?" _Sarafu put her hands on her hip to give her an agitated look. _"You don't want some heart-to-heart talk, right? If you're just going to talk about how you'll destroy the world and go off on some evil monologue, I'm gonna leave."_

"Such a disrespectful tone to your father," he snorted. "No matter. I can do nothing in this state. It's quiet tiring, you know. I'm awake most of the time. No rest. But don't worry. As soon as I get my own body, however, I won't stop to continue my 'research' on your dragon lineage."

_"Too bad,"_ she shrugged her shoulders. _"If you haven't noticed, there's nothing dragon about me, as of late. Stupid lizard ran off with my body. It doesn't plan on coming back for another century or so."_

"Ah, but there's no way it can ignore what Akatsuki has cooked up," Orochimaru smiled. "It would be foolish to ignore such a substantial amount of food, especially considering with all the deaths, the population might drop. Their war they are trying to concoct is beneficial to everyone. It's just a matter of who gets their hands on the prize first."

_"Beneficial? BENEFICIAL?!" _She slammed her fist on the table next to them, causing a few flasks to tip over. _"How can you call thousands of people dying BENEFICIAL? Towns will be reduced to rubble, families will beseperated, hatred will rise. This is not _beneficial_!" _

"I beg to differ," Orochimaru smiled. "One country just might be able to come out on top, and rule all of the lands. Old grudges can be settled, one can satisfy their bloodlust. A country can take whatever they want. There are no rules in war. Everything is up for grabs and only the strongest and most tactical will win. It's all a game, you see."

Sarafu looked like she just might wring his neck right then and there. I had to agree with her though. This guy was giving off strange waves. He was more of a freak than they were.

Sarafu took a one of the glass flasks and broke it against the table's edge. "I should kill you here and now," she growled, holding the dangerously sharp edge to his neck. "Who cares if Kabuto dies, as long as you go with him? Though, knowing you, you'll find some way to survive. You're like a stinking cockroach."

Orochimaru only smiled, his teeth glistening in the artificial light. "I plan to live for eternity."

Sarafu's anger seemed to be axhausted. She flung the broken flask over her shoulder and it shattered into a million pieces on the wall. "Whatever. I'm sure there are plenty of other people who'll be more satisfied with killing you. I'm outta here."

_Come on, Misa. There' no point in lingering here._

'Ah, yes, but-'

"Remember, Sarafu," Orochimaru rested his head on his hand. "I will find a new body, and once I do, I will harvest the Moon Dragon's power, no matter who's body it's in."

"Tch." Sarafu appeared to have ignored his threat and walked out of the room.

I fused back into my body, and regained control as we were outside the room. 'Umm..Sarafu?'

_Yeah, what is it?_

'How do we get back?'

_Don't worry, you're boyfriend has come to pick us up._

'Boyfriend Wha-You don't mean Tobi?!'

_Who else?_

I couldn't keep myself from blushing. He wasn't my boyfriend, why would Sarafu say something like that. I barely knew the guy, well, actually, I _knew_ the guy. But there was notihng going on between us, I mean-

"Misa?"

I looked up to see the familiar orange mask, coming towards me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Tobi!"

"You sure do know how to get around!" Tobi exclaimed when he came to me. "From our room to Suna, to here!"

"Yeah, well, the story's complicated," I shrugged my shoulders. "How'd you find me anyway?"

"I told you not to leave, because I knew Deidara might try to attack you," Tobi answered as he led me back. "So I placed a tracking charm in your pocket, just for precautions. It seems I was right. I realized what Deidara was trying to do in the middle of my mission. Sorry for the long wait. You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

"Nah, I'm ok, really," I smiled at him, and then cringed when I was blasted with light. As my eyes adjusted, I recognized the outside. How had Tobi known the way?

He sighed and rested his forehead against mine. "I swear, I'll protect you this time. Look, you got a cut on your lip. You may be fine now, but if this were to happen again-no, I won't let it happen again. I'll never let you out of my sight."

I smiled. This guy really did love me. "You're like my own personal guard dog, Tobi. Maybe I should call you Doggy, from onw on!" I smiled thinking it a joke, but Tobi had a painful expression on his face.


	30. Always A Killer

**A/N: **OMG! I can't believe I've already reached Chapter 30! Thanks for all the reviews and support, guys! I wonder if this will actually be as long as _The Ninja Life of Kichino Sarafu_? Anyway, I won't let you down, my faithful readers! (I find it amusing how contrasting the seaon is in the story to how it is in real life. Maybe this is my way of beating the summer heat.) Enjoy!

**Always A Killer**

A month has passed since my running with Sai. The snow had begun to fall across the land, covering the earth in a satin, ivory sheet. It was at times like these, I wanted to just lie within myself, fall into a state of blankness, just as the world seemed to lie dormant now. Even the task of recovering my memories seemed far off in the distance.

"My next mission will take a little more time than usual," Tobi smiled at me apologetically. "I'm sorry. You must be so lonely like this-"

"Oh, no! It's ok!" I smiled as much as I could to put him at ease. "I have always have Sarafu to talk to, and there's the TV, and magazines. Trust me, I'm not lonely at all."

His smiled faded to a pained expression. He knew that reception up in the mountains was limited to only a few channels that comprised of the weather, news, and a children's network, and that I had already read the three magazines seven times over. But I didn't blame him one bit.

"I'm really sorry, Misa," he wrapped me in a hug, which he seemed to be doing a lot recently, although I didn't mind the gesture, since it provided heat in this cold weather. "I'll return as soon as I can, so stay put, alright? Bye, then." He left me reluctantly and walked out into the snow.

I sighed and flopped myself on the couch, staring at the wall for a few hours, unblinkingly.

_Man, you really become lazy when it gets cold, don't you?_

I grunted at Sarafu's criticism, too tired to fight back. Tobi had kept his promise in protecting me. We moved to some mountain, where I was locked in a cabin all day. When he said he'd protect me, I didn't think he meant close me off from the world. I hadn't seen a living soul since that incident. Luckily, I had Sarafu to keep me company. Well, maybe not so lucky...

_So the poor housewife does the household chores and waits for her husband to come home from work. _

"Shut up!" I yelled aloud, since no one was within a fifty mile radius on this deserted mountain, I didn't even bother with keeping my thoughts to myself. "If I leave and Tobi finds out, then I'll be in trouble." Boredom had forced me to take up household chores, although since I was the only person that lived here, the house remained spotless.

_Ah, but you see, that's _if _Tobi finds out. Sometimes he doesn't even come back for days, doing Akatsuki's dirty work. And since Deidara knows why he keeps leaving, he'll try to imprison Tobi by his side even more._

"Yeah, what's Deidara's problem, anyway?" I fumed. That sandy haired blonde always seemed to enjoy annoying me. "Why's it so bad if Tobi 'holds someone precious,' huh?"

_Personally, I think he's jealous. Doesn't like the idea that Tobi enjoys someone else's company more than his own. Do you think Deidara's ever seen under Tobi's mask?_

"Of course not!" I cried indignantly, sweeping the broom along the wooden floor with more fervor. "Only you and I have seen under his mask!"

_Actually, Temari saw him without his mask, although she doesn't know that he's an Akatsuki member, so it doesn't really count. _

I sighed, bored with the senseless sweeping and looked out the frosted window. The snow was falling softly, the evergreens were now everwhites. The scene was so picturesque, one couldn't help but sigh at it.

_Why don't you go out there? You've live in Suna all your life, so you've probably never encountered snow, although you wouldn't remember it if you have. _

'I don't want to needlessly worry Tobi,' I didn't bother with saying it aloud. It felt easier to say in my head.

_He won't be back for a while. He even said it himself that his mission would require his prescence for quite some time, and I'm sure Deidara will keep him away._

I frowned, contemplating, searching for a reason to argue, but I found none. Besides, I couldn't deny the want to go out into the crisp air and feel the wonder that was snow. Slowly, I shrugged into the coat Tobi had given me, and turned the cold, metal knob. A burst of icy wind met my face as I pulled open the door. The cold inside was nothing compared to the cold outside. I took my first steps down the steps, and eyes the white blanket suspiciously. Sarafu had explained to me that snow was just frozen rain, but would it hold up against my weight?

Cautiously, I dipped my two into the white and quickly pulled it back. The was a little indention where the toe of my boot had been. After Sarafu screamed at me impatiently, I finally put my whole foot down. _Crunch!_

I quickly recoiled onto the wooden step, worried that I had broken something. There was only my footprint. "What an odd sound," I mused.

_Well, you're stepping on little pieces of ice, so you're crushing them. It only makes sense that they'd produce such a noise. _

I finally put my whole weight on the snow. _Crunch!_ I put my other foot down. _Crunch!_ I smiled. The snow was soft, yet crunchy. I began to walk around.

_Crunch!... Crunch!... Crunch!...Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!_

I set off at a run, delighting in the sound my feet were creating. I had soon created a circle in the middle of my front yard.

_Don't just run around like a moron. Pick some up._

I did as she instructed, and delighted at the numb feeling in my bare hands. I closed my hands around the white powder and unfolded them. There was only a trickle of water left in my hands. Snow really was just bits of ice. But it felt so soft.

'I heard once that in some countries, it's a treat to eat snow with syrup on top.'

_Where'd you hear that from?_

'I...I don't remember.'

I rubbed my hands together as they got dangerously cold, and went to explore more wonders about snow.

* * *

I now spent almost everyday outside in the front yard, playing with the snow. In some ways, it was like sand, disappearing sand. Each time I tried to build a snow castle, it just flopped over. I hid my guilt for disobeying Tobi deep within my gut, and continued to enjoy myself. Besides, it's not like anyone would come all the way up here on this desolate mountain, right? 

One day, I decided to venture past my front yard and into the trees. I made sure to leave a definite path in the snow, so I could find my way back in case I went in too deep. I froze, however, when I saw an white-furred wolf look my way. I couldn't quite understand why but this majestic creature sent shivers down my spine. Maybe it was it's sense of grandeur, how it held it's nose high and its august eyes bore into my very soul. This must be the king of all wolves, with how much he astounded me.

But the wolf paid me no mind as it leapt off and into the woods. I was certain I had just met the Lord of this forest. But there was something else tugging at my mind, something vague...

'Hey, Sarafu, did I use to have a dog? A little white one with blue eyes?'

_No...that was..._

She stopped, obviously debating on whether to tell me. Finally, she spoke.

_It...was Tobi's. You should ask him about it, sometime. _

'Huh..' I only shrugged, and continued my trek through the snowy woods.

I had merely thought I tripped over a rock when I went tumbling into the snow, but when I noticed that the snow around the object of my tripping was died a depp pink, I nearly cried in horror. I bloody man was lying in the snow. His face was turing blue, but his back was leaking red. From the amount of snow that covered him, he had been laying there for quite a while.

_Hurry, bring him back to the house! He's gonna die out here! It doesn't seem that his wounds have stopped bleeding either. _

Reluctantly, I heaved the bloody mess, and carrie him back to the house. Well, it was more like I _dragged_ him there. I was only a young girl after all. I couldn't carry an unconcious man all on my own! But I somehow managed to pull him up the stares, however uncomfortable for him it must've been. (I even dropped him a couple of times.)

I ran for the first aid kit and some clean cloths. Under Sarafu's precise instruction, I cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Now that he was cleaned, I could clearly make out his features. He was an old man, or stress had aged him. He had deep set lines in his face, but the stubble on his chin only made him look younger. His hair was matted and unkempt, reaching past his jaw bone and just barely gracing his shoulders. When I put my hand on his cheek, I first felt biting cold, but then realized how smooth and soft they were. This man, although he appeared to be in his fifties, was probably aged with grief. From the appearance of his attire, he was a shinobi. From the picture on his headband he was from the Rock country.

_Rock Country? Is that where we are? Tobi would never tell us, and I can't tell by looking at the terrain. All I saw on the way here were trees! _

'We'll ask him when he wakes up,' I decided, as I draped a wool blanket of his figure.

* * *

It didn't take long for the man to wake up. With how loudly he was snoring, I expected him to sleep through the rest of the day. He gave a soft grunt as his eyes fluttered open. I watched as he sat up and dreamily looked around. Finally, he noticed me, and fully awoke. 

"Where-"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question," I already knew what he was going to ask. "I have as little, probably even less, idea where this is than you do. But don't worry, I'm sure we can figure out soon enough. You must be hungry, I'll make you some soup." I stood up, and walked to the kitchen to heat up some of the food supplies Tobi left me.

"Then, who are you?" the man asked after I handed him his bowl of vegetable soup, steaming hot.

"My name is Misa," I answered.

"How old are you?"

I froze. How old _was_ I?

_You're 16._

"Sixteen."

"Do you live here alone?"

I could feel Sarafu's nervousness. She didn't like all these questions he was asking. _Say no. Tobi, our brother, has left for work in the city. Akatsuki's not an exactly cherished name. _

"No, I have an older brother named Tobi," I tried to make it sounds as authentic as possible. I didn't really see the need to lie to a mere stranger. "He went to the city for work. But he'll be back sometime."

"I see," the cupped his hands around the warm bowl of the soup. "So you're all alone here, huh?"

I cocked my hea to the side curiously. Sarafu was beginning to hyperventilate and it was making my stomach wriggle. _Crap! It was a bad idea to take in a total stranger, even if he was wounded! We're totally at his mercy! He might rob us, and take all our food, or worse...Oh, Misa! I'm so sorry! I don't want this to become another Sai!_

'It's ok, Sarafu. I have a feeling about him. He seems like a nice guy.'

_What are you talking about?! He won't tell us a bit about himself and he seems interested in our age and the fact that we're __**alone!**__Tobi was right, we should've just-_

"My daughter must be your age about now," he wondered aloud, he obviously found something interesting in the floating vegetables, because he never took his eyes off them. "She's all alone too. After I left her..."

"Umm...sir?" I looked at him.

His distant eyes snapped back and he smiled apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Yuki Fujishima. I'm a jounin in the Iwa ranks. Thank you for saving my life."

_Iwa? So does that mean-_

"Mr. Fujishima, if you're from Iwa, then does that mean that this mountin is in Rock Country?" I reitterated Sarafu's question.

"Ah, yes, I'd assume, we're still in Rock Country," he looked at me with grey eyes, that almost looked sad. "I don't know. After I was wounded, I just wandered around, until I eventually passed out."

"Were you doing a mission or something?"

"Yes," he answered after some minutes of staring at me as if I was retarded. "I'm one of the lower infantry, however. I didn't do anything important. I just fight of the enemy. Not of much importance in this war."

_War?_

"War?"

He looked at me curiously. "Have you been secluded on this mountain top all your life?"

"I wouldn't know," I shrugged. "I lost my memories about two months ago. Tobi said he was my brother and that I had fallen off a cliff. That's pretty much all I know." It wasn't a total lie.

"How depressing," he sighed, finally taking in a spoonfull of the soup. "You must be lonely."

"Not really," I looked out the window blankly, "since I don't know what its like to have company." I turned back, my glaze gone. "So...you mentioned a war?"

"Yes," he set his spoon down. "It all began when the Sound and Rain village attacked the Grass Village. It seems, however, that an emmessary of peace from Suna made his way a few months before the war broke out, prophesizing about this very thing, and asking to join alliances. Most people turned them away, not without good reason. However, the war has begun, and the ninja villages are in dissarray. It seems, however, that Grass already had an alliance with Suna, so they received help from them and Konoha. So, Grass is safe, but now battles are popping up all over the continent! Suna and Konoha are the leading powers, which now everyone is flocking to, but Sound and Rain have lready taken over the Waterfall and the Water village. It seems they are powered by Akatsuki, a band of rogue ninjas."

I froze. 'Akatsuki? Tobi was involved in this?'

"I've even seen one of them fighting, that's how I got this wound! A demon in an orange mask struck me down! He took down our entire fleet in one move! We didn't even get to see the blonde guy fight. I find it odd how they don't even bother to attack Suna or Konoha. They've been hitting Rock country hard, though."

_They're forces are too meager to against the combined forces of Suna and Konoha. They need to keep this chaos going for as long as possible._

My heart sunk in my chest. What was Tobi doing? Really?

* * *

Over the days, Mr. Fujishima began to warm up to me. As I had guessed, he was younger than he looked, only 36. He had daughter named Kana, whom he left with his grandmother to go fight in the war. Hwever, he soon heard over her passing only a few days after he was sent to battle in disrtant lands, leaving her alone. I think this was the reason behind his fatherly doting. Although depressing as he was, he was still company, so I found myself smiling countless times. 

Mr. Fujishima's wounds were healing slowly, but effectively. He ended up with a slight fever, which I quickly nursed away. It felt nice to have someone to look after. We fought off boredom with talk. He told me all sorts of stories from his past. Most involved him getting wounded. This man seemed to be accident prone. I found it amazing he's lived up to this point. "But like they say," he told me once. "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"

However, our happy moments were ruined, when Tobi came home.

We were sitting at the coffee table in the living room, a checkerboard laid out. I had taken one of my pieces and hopped over three of his, taking out the remainder of his pieces. He stood up in shock. "You actually beat me!" He exclaimed.

It was at this moment that the door opened up, and Tobi found a strange, gruff looking man standing over me. Mr. Fujishima could only cry out "The demon!" before Tobi flung him against the wall. The force of the impact caused his wounds to reopen, and blood smeared on the walls.

Tobi ran up to me, gripping me by the shoulders. "Are you alright, Misa? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

I could only stare up at him in shock. My mind was going blank. I quickly threw off his hands, and ran over to my friend. "Mr. Fujishima! Mr. Fujishima!" I called out to him shaking his shoulders. He didn't respond. He was already covered in so much blood. I felt his cheeks again. They were cold, but not like when I first met him. He was dead. At that moment, it felt like a flood of things rushed into my head all at once. I snapped.

"You bastard!" I turned on Tobi in a teary rage. "You killed him! You freaking killed him! The first soul I met in weeks and you have to kill him! You lock me up in ths godforsaken freezing rock, and leave me here, all alone, and when I finally have someone besides Sarafu to talk to you, you have to go kill him?! Who's next? My family? I've been getting a little too cozy with my mom lately, you want to kill her too?! You've already maimed her enough, why not finish the job?!"

I couldn't see the shocked expression under the mask, but knew it was there. "You...remember?"

"I do now, you damned idiot!" Words weren't enough to vent my anger so I slapped him, although I'm sure the mask absorbed most of the shock. You're a damn killer, aren't you? You plan to kill me, too? Or are you waiting to kill off the rest of the world until I'm completely alone, and then you'll end my suffering?"

"Misa-"

I hit him again, and stormed into the kitchen cupboard to retrieve my weapons. I held Luna up to his neck. If I killed him now, I would save so many lives in the future. But even in my fury, I couldn' bring myself to draw, blood, so before he could remove his mask and give me those puppy eyes, I stormed out into the house and into the cold snow.

"Misa! Where are you going?" Tobi called out after me.

"Home!" I shouted. "Where I'm far away from you!" I didn't even look back at him. It was only when I felt his arms wrap around me, that I realized he planned to chase me. I flung his arms away and stood, facing him. I raised Luna to my neck and declared, "If you take another step towards me, I swear, I'll kill myself right here!"

Tobi didn't seem to believe me, because he began to move forward, until he saw my blood trickle down my neck. Yeah, I was that pissed. Tobi immeadiately stepped back. I put Luna back and stomped off, into the forest. I had no idea where I was going, I just wanted to get away from him.

When I knew I was far enough, I broke down into sobs. My tears melting the snow around, and I only just realized I had forgotten my coat in my rage. I couldn't believe I had suppressed my memories so that I could trust this guy again, and begin to like him back. Would I ever learn my lesson? I guess a killer will always be a killer.


	31. Miss Muhngony's Job

**A/N: **Wow, this one turned out longer than usual. Anywho, enjoy!

**Miss Muhngony's Job**

When I awoke in the frozen snow, I found myself wrapped in a heavy coat. It seemed that Tobi respected my wishes in wanting to stay away from him, but he didn't want me to die from frostbite, either. 'Dammit! When he does stuff like this, it makes it hard for me to hate him!'

_You're not gonna throw away the coat, are you?_

'I may be pissed, but I'm not stupid.'

I zipped the coat closed and wiped off the snow from my clothes. I had trekked a great distance last night, trying to focus on my journey rather what had just transpired in the cabin. This was the third time he hurt me. Was I some sort of masochist? Why did I always go back to him?

_Come on, let's get going._

I nodded, taking a deep breath to calm myself. Crying now would only waste time. Trying to focus on nothing but where I was going, I began to traipse through the snow, stumbling over rocks and dodging trees.

The grumbling of my stomach alerted me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunchtime. From the bright light of the Winter sun in the sky, it had to be some time past noon. From the looks of it, I was still on the mountain, and I was sure there was no sign of habitation anywhere. It looks like I'll have to hunt or forage.

Glad that I had taken my weapons with me, I began to stalk the forest, kunai in hand. I walked for some hours, not even bothering to keep quiet, when I saw another creature sniffing about. I froze, seeing its snowy white fur, dirtied by black speckles around the collar. It wasn't a wolf, only a wild dog. I was going to uncoil until it looked straight at me with its piercing blue eyes. Was that, no, it couldn't be! That looked just like the Siberian Husky puppy Inukami brought with him. But this dog was so much bigger, and I hadn't seen him since I last left Inukami, before the battle with Deidara.

The dog turned away from me and ran through the trees. I don't know what possessed me to follow him, but I ran after that dog. He dogged around the pine trees, only leaving a little glimps of his fluffy grey tail. "Hey, where are you going?" I whispered at him. For some reason, I felt like we were trespassing into foreign territory. "Wait up-"

I stopped mid sentence, as I saw what the dog had lead me to. On a bed of pine needles sat a pile of berries along with-I shuddered-a dead rabbit. The Siberian Husky gazed at me, nodded and then leapt off.

"Hey, wait...!" I called out but it was already long gone. This couldn't be...

I gave a bittersweet smile. 'I have no self-control.' I kneeled down and popped some of the berries into my mouth. They were almost frozen over, but their crunchyness made them all the more delicious. Now I understood why there was a rabbit as well as berries. Those tiny fruits didn't fill you up at all. I gathered some firewood, created a clear patch in the snow, and as I had learn from watching the Outdoor Channel, (I seemed to learn everything from watching TV) I created a little campfire, its flame soft, but strong. Creating a little rack with tied up sticks, and a rock, I cooked the rabbit meat, after skinning and slicing of course, which was a gruesome but necessary task. Rabbit tasted surprisingly like squid. I wonder how that came about.

* * *

After another day's walk, it seemed that the trees were beginning to thin out and the ground became a little more level. I was nearing the base of the mountain. There also seemed to be less snow and more rock. Maybe this part of the mountain didn't get as much snow fall as the more elevated areas.

I had traveled some ways before I had an insecure feeling. Although it was winter, the forest felt surprisingly empty. Sure, most animals were hibernating, but there should still be some birds and wolves, and insects. The forest was as silent as a grave. Uh-oh, that was a bad comparison.

As if I had jinxed myself, I heard the sound of heavy breathing behind me, and turned around to find a strange man, leaping at me through the air. I quickly fell back, landing on my butt. But I had no time to worry about my bum when the man made ready for another attack. I noticed a kunai in his hand, and the Rock symbol on his forehead protector. A ninja...

I rolled to the side, quickly regained my ground, and whipped out Luna. I hurled my left chakram towards him, and it ripped open his shoulder. I cringed at the sound of his cries, but quickly picked up Luna which had fallen behind him, ready for his next attack. Surprisingly enough, he left, but not without muttering a stream of audible curses.

_Wow, good job, Misa. You're first opponent, a jounin at that, and you sent him running! I'm impressed. _

'Heheh, thanks.'

I felt myself blush, but wiped away my happy thoughts. If there was a Rock ninja here, he must be one of Mr. Fujishima's comrades. That meant that others might be near, and hopefully, they wouldn't attack me on sight. I might find out where I was exactly and head home. I made my way from where the shinobi had attacked me, and as a put my hand on a nearby tree for support, I came upon an astonishing sight.

The forest had ended, leaving a clearing, and a battlefield. Corpses of fallen shinobi were scattered here and there. And little sparks of battle erupted all over the place. Two shinobi would meet on the ground, exchange blows, and then leap back, and meet again somewhere else. Because everyone was moving around so much, I couldn't tell who was fighting who, but felt relieved when I saw no Akatsuki uniform. This was only a minor battle.

_Misa, look out!_

I managed to side-step just in time to avoid a kunai aimed straight for my eyes. It landed with a _thunk_ on a tree behind me. I looked to see a shinobi, a mask wrapped around all of his face, excluding his eyes, glare at me, and then retreat. It seemed that the rest had spotted me, for several more shuriken and kunai came flying my way. I ducked and dove into the battlefield, Luna clutched in my desperate hands.

I ran. As long as I kept moving, I could easily dodge attacks. Well, I wasn't a sitting duck, that's for sure. I even had some ninja confront me directly, in which case I didn't hesitate to plunge Luna into their chest. I was in the center of the fighting, when shuriken from left and right flew at me, I spread my legs, to the point of doing a near split on the ground, and planted my face only inches from the ground. Living in that cabin, I hadn't been getting much exercise. It felt good to stretch my limbs again.

In the same act of getting up, I spun Luna in my hands, letting both of the lethal rings leave my fingers and tear down any enemies who weren't quick enough to dodge it's reach. I smirked as they returned to my hands. This was only my first battle, let alone with ninjas far superior, and I was holding up fairly well. I made to run away, in case someone noticed I was standing still, but my foot caught on something, causing me to fall flat on my face. I turned to notice it was a wire.

_A trap! An exploding tag! Run!_

But I only had enough time to cover my face as the area around me exploded, sending me flying back. The blast sent me half of the way I needed to go, and I skidded across the dirt. 'Aw, man, my butt must be all brown and dirty! Jerks! Ouch!' I cringed in pain, and looked at my arms. The skin-tight gloves I wore had been blasted apart leaving my skin red and throbbing with pain. The blast had burned my fore-arms.

_At least it wasn't your face._

'True.'

_No time to mourn over spilt beans, let's get out of here!_

I nodded, and then made a dash to the right. However, I had been concentrating on my pain, rather than the battle, so I didn't react in time to avoid the kunai that lodged itself into my thigh. I cried out in pain as I plummeted into the frozen ground. "Gargh! Dammit!" I pulled the kunai tenderly out of my thigh, crimson blood spilling onto the ground. I needed to bandage that before I died from blood loss.

_No time for that now! Get out of here, or we'll be killed!_

I nodded, and stood up, and limped as fast as I could to another speckle of trees. Although not as thick as the previous wood, they at least provided better cover than out in the open. A shuriken had sliced open my cheek and another kunai grazed my arm before I finally reached cover. I sat behind a tree within the woods, panting and clutching my thigh. I wasn't safe, but I was away from immeadiate danger, so I took off the remainder of my blasted gloves and tied them around my leg. The pressure seemed to push back a bit of the pain, and it didn't feel like a ton of blood was gushing out everytime I took a step. I knew Sarafu could feel my pain, but I also felt her comfort and support. She helped to calm me, and alleviate the pain, as I ran through the woods.

* * *

Now that that battle had been avoided, although not without a few scars, I finally found myself at the end of the mountain. The ground felt steadier, and the trees seemed a bit...softer compared to the sturdy trees of the rocky mountain. I quickly found a run-off stream from the mountain. Surprisingly enough, it hadn't frozen over. I knelt down by the bank and dipped my arms in the freezing water. I flinched, at first it stung, but then the biting cold began to numb th pain.

"Aaaahhh," I sighed. "Feels so good..."

_You need to get your wounds looked at, especially your thigh._

"I know, I know," I grumbled aloud. The cloth around my leg had turned red.

Reluctantly taking my hands out of the icy water, I continued my trek through the snowy woods. Since there hadn't been a fresh layer of snow in a few weeks, the snow had become sloshy and mixed with dirt to bring about a dirty tan slush, much unlike the picteresque scene up at the cabin. I shook the thoughts from my head. That just meant it was warmer, I told myself.

After a while, the forest sounded more alive. Insects buzzing by occasionally, the sound of a scamper, birds chirping. It seemed as though all the animals fled from the battle to here. I felt more at ease, hearing the sound of animals, but Sarafu cautioned me to stay alert. I was walking past a gathering of bramble, when I smelt...nailpolish?

Curious, I followed the noxious smell to a small clearing, where a woman in a thick purple coat sat on a protruding boulder calmly painting her nails. She noticed me and motioned for me to come closer. I obeyed, hoping a town might be by. Without speaking she grabbed my hands, examining them. "Soldiers hands were always so rough and callous," she complained, letting them fall back to my sides. "You look like you haven't seen a shower in some while. Want to come to my lodge and I'll clean you up?"

Although insulted by her shower comment, I nodded and followed her past the woods to a small town, where everything seemed to be made of wood. The dirt streets were muddy from the snow, and a dog barked from someone's backyard. She led me past a row of log cabins to a super log cabin, much bigger than the others. The window panes were painted red, and the inside, as she led me in, was decorated with "red" being the theme. Crimson, velvet armchairs with red wildflowers in a vase. A red brick fireplace with mahogany flooring.

"Stop gaping and move it, "she snapped, bringing me back from my stare. I nodded apologetically, and followed her to a white tiled bathroom. It's theme was "blue." "Now, take a shower, and I'll have Kaoru wash your clothes," she told me just before closing the door.

I stared at the towel and bathtub. I hadn't even introduced myself, and I was already using her bathroom! Well, beggars can't be choosers. Throwing caution to the wind, I took a nice, hot shower, feeling my muscles uncoil.

After dressing a bath robe, the woman, now without her purple coat, gestured me towards a nice wooden table, with steaming stew waiting for me. I eagerly dove in, glancing at her every once in a while. Her clothes showed that she had money, but they weren't too gaudy either. I only now actually got a good look at her. Her black, wavy hair matched well with her red sweater and black pants. She had bright green eyes, and had a snap to her movements. In other words, she looked like a woman ready to lead.

After finishing my meal, and putting on freshly washed clothes along with proper bandages, the woman sat me by the fire and finally introduced herself.

"My name is Chisa Muhngony," she told me, sitting up straight in her velvet armchair, which made me ashamed of my slouching. "I am the daughter of the president of the Muhngony Lumber company. Welcome to Lumberjack city. No, that's not the actual name of the town, its actually called Pine Town, but that doesn't matter. As you might have guessed from the looks of things, this towns major export is forestry. We rely heavily on our lumberjacks. That is why I have brought you here."

"Huh?" I could only say. What does complete stranger want with me.

"From the looks of it, your a ninja from Suna, correct?"

"How'd you-"

"I saw your forehead protector. Although we live in the country, the people of Pine Town are not idiots, Miss-"

"Misa. My names is Misa."

"Yes, Miss Misa. Well, in exchange for food and lodging, we would like to hire your services."

"Hire?"

"Yes, the war has been drawing closer to our small town everyday. The run-off of the battles always manage to find their way here, and rob our stores. But more importantly, I'm afraid of our lumberjacks getting hurt. The entire town relies on them, after all. I'd like for you to guard them, and patrol the area."

"But, Miss Muhngony, what makes you think I'm not one of those soldiers?"

"As I said before, we're not idiots," her green eyes glinted in the firelight. She crossed her ankles, and tucked her heels under her chair, making her look very proffesional. "There is no need for a Suna shinobi to be all the way up here. You are either out on a mission or-"

"-am lost," I finished for her. "It's a long and complicated story of how I got here, but I want to go back home. MY family must be worried sick about me. I thank you for your kindness, Miss Muhngony, but I really need to get home."

"It's not kindness," she said coolly, almost straightening even more, if that was possible. "I purposefully took you in so you'd be indebted to me. You owe me pay for food, washing your clothes, letting you use my bathroom, and lodging, as you will go to sleep in the guest room soon."

I frowned deeply. What a cunning woman. "Well, how long will this job last? I really need to get home."

"Either until the war has moved somewhere else, or we find another to take your place."

I stood up abruptly. "Who knows how long that'll take?! I can't stay here forever, I need to go home!"

"Where do you plan on going? From the looks of things, you don't even know where you are."

"I know I'm in Rock Country."

"Ah, but you are wrong there, Miss Misa," She smirke viciously. "You are in Grass country, now."

She couldn't be serious! I had been going the wrong way all this time! I kept myself from yelling a stream of curses.

"How about this, you work for us for a month, and then, we'll send someone to lead you to Wind country, how about that?"

I frowned, but there wasn't much I could do at the moment. I couldn't just leave after she had treated my wounds and all. Head hanging down in defeat, I muttered, "Fine, I'll do it."

She smiled triumphantly. "Good, now off to bed with you! I'll show you were to go in the morning!"

* * *

**A/N: **I would so have a house like Muhngony's. 


	32. Homesick

**A/N: **Sorry for the lag in this story. I've been too into Harry Potter lately, with the new book and all. (And since I'm reading he final book, don't expect another chapter any time soon.)

**Homesick**

_Ok...go now!_

'No.'

_What? Why not? _

I sighed, seating myself on a stump as I dumbly watched the men hack down hundreds of trees. There hadn't been a fresh blanket of snow in a week, but the cold made sure it wouldn't melt. I shivered, pulling my coat closer around me, and rubbing my arms ina desperate attempt to produce warmth.

'Because, I don't know where I am, I will more than likely run out of food on the way, based on my hunting skills, and I'm being healed and fed in return for me sitting here and watching a bunch of old coots hack up some wood.'

_Yeah, but we can ask the nearest town or civilization for directions, and we can always steal some food-_

'No! I will not steal! It is wrong! I can just wait another two weeks.'

_But this is so BORING! They don't even need a guard! If some straggler does make his way here, they can easily saw his head off. And besides, they keep making fun of us. Everyday they'll ask us how the 'Morning wood' is and laugh! I don't know what that is!_

'It's probably some lumberjack term. If you want, I'll ask Miss Muhngony at dinner.'

_Whatever. I just really want to get out of here. _

'Me too. I'm from the freakin' desert! You think I like this cold?'

A couple of lumberjacks carrying a huge log walked by. They all whistled and laughed, some even made kissing noises. Suddenly, running away didn't seem like such a bad idea.

* * *

After finishing my dinner of steak and vegetables, I put the dishes in the sink for the maid to wash. Miss Muhngony, who always sat across from me at the table, never even bothered to move her dirty dishes. The maid was more of a ninja than I was. I'd only catch glimpses of her, and a mess would be mysteriously cleaned in a matter of minutes. As I moved towards the hallway, Miss Muhngony asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom, to wash up," I replied, pausing only for a second and then continuing on.

"Hurry up," she ordered, as cold and proffesional as ever.

I nodded, turning the corner to see the familiar red door that marked the single bathroom in the lodge. I had my han on the golden knob when I noticed something I hadn't seen before. A thin line, barely noticeable. I touched it, and then knew for sure what I was touching: a secret door.

_Let's check it out. Let's see what Miss Perfect has to hide._

Unable to hold back my curiosity, I gave the door a little nudge, and it swung open. Light from the hallway poured into the room, filling the corners and revealing to me an amazing store of explosives. Crates, stacked up to the ceiling, were marked with "TNT" in large print. Some larger crates, to the front, didn't have lids on them. I stepped farther in, to see what contents they held, and couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped my lips.

Clay statues with an all too familiar style. Deidara's style.

"If Deidara's explosive statues are here, then that must mean-" I thought aloud. but was caught off in mid-sentence by a cold voice behind me.

"So you figured it out?" Miss Muhngony stood in the doorway, slightly blocking what light came into the room. "Yes, this is Deidara's hideout, where he keeps an extra stash of bombs. He gave these to us with two orders: Bomb Iwa. . ."

I was frozen. I had not expected this. "And. . .?"

"To keep Misa from Suna here until he returns. The second order shall be fulfilled, and tonight, we'll carry out the second order."

"To. . .bomb Iwa?" I asked dumbly staring at her.

"Yes."

"Do you think I'll just stand here and let you do that?!" I replied angrily, ready to fight.

"Oh, I don't think you have much of a choice," Miss Muhngony gave something of a giggle, as she closed the door on me, locking me in darkness. I ran to the spot where the door was and pounded it with my fists, but only ended up with sore knuckles.

'It's no use! This door won't open from the inside!'

_Then we'll just have to bust out!_

'How? I can't even see! And I don't think that lighting a fire in here would be a very good idea.'

_It's simple! You remember how to summon, right?_

'Yeah.'

_Then all we have to do is summon Takuro. He's too big to fit into such a small room so the place will burst open. _

'Takuro?'

_He's the largest summon dragon. The dragon of Mist and Sun. He controls the weather._

'But I thought you could only summon one dragon.'

_Oh, no. There are four summon dragons. Gonko, the one you summoned last time, was the weakest. Next would be Konkichii, then Moregayo, and last, Takuro. They also happen to be in order from youngest to oldest. Takuro is-_

'Ok, that's great and all, but if I can only summon Gonko, how do you expect me to summon Takuro if he's the strongest?'

_Put a whole lot of chakra into it._

'You're so simple-minded.'

_It's your mind too._

Potruding my lower lip, I did the handsigns that felt all too familiar-probably from Sarafu's influence-and calmly said "_Kuchiyose no jutsu!"_

I could hear and feel the smoke explode around me, and then I felt something small and scaley crawl up my side and onto my shoulder. "Gonko, reporting for duty!" A small voice squeaked into my ear.

"What? Gonko?" I exclaimed. "I wanted Takuro, not you."

"Well, _excuse me_, amateur!" I could hear the hurt in his voice. "You can't even summon Konkichii, brat, so don't even dream of summoning Takuro!"

"Well, how am I supposed to get out of here, then?"

"You don't seem to know who I am, exactly! I am the greatest spy of all the world! I can break out of any prison or restraints! There's always a way!"

I could feel Gonko scurry down my arm, and heard him scramble about along the crates. I could feel my heart thump in my chest. What if one of his little claws scratched the bombs and they all exploded?

"This room is full of bombs and dynamite, I see," Gonko spoke through the silence. "There doesn't seem to be any visible light, but I can feel cold air coming from he-ah! A hole! It was covered by this crate!"

I heard him push a crate, and a very small, dim light made its way past the darkness. It wasn't enough to see, but I knew what that meant.

"It was made by mice, it seems," Gonko thought aloud. "I'll scramble out and find a way to get you out. You had to have gotten in somehow."

I heard more scurrying, and then silence. "Gonko?" I called out, but there was no response. He must've already been gone.

'Now, I'll have to get out of here and stop Miss Muhngony from bombing Iwa.'

_Unless she's got another store of bombs, I think that's impossible. She left us with her stash of bombs, even if we were still stuck in here by the time she got back, we could just fight her, as we said before._

'She's smarter than that. I think she'll bring help with her. Maybe one of those lumberjack guys.' I shivered.

_Well, we're gonna be busted out anyway, so it's alright._

'What are we-'

I stopped as light flooded into the room, momentarily blinding me. As my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I found Gonko on the floor gazing up at me with his large eyes. "Mission accomplished."

"Wait!" I cried out, thinking he was going to unsummon. "I've got another job for you!"

"You dare to order me?" Gonko growled, but in his small, high-pitched voice, it didn't sound very threatening.

"Isn't that what summons are supposed to do?"

"Not necessarily. . .whatever, what is it you want me to do?"

"While Sarafu and I escape, I want you to detonate these bombs."

"Are you crazy?! I'll be caught in the explosion!"

"Not if you unsummon yourself before it explodes."

"There's no way I can have enough time for that," Gonko shook his tiny, triangular head.

"Not if you use a fuse," I pointed out. "I'm sure our bombers weren't planning on becoming martyrs. They must have a timer or something in order for them to have time to get out of the range of explosion. Just look. I've got to go, and talk to Miss Muhngony."

Gonko frowned, but nodded and scurried off.

With that matter settled, I ran through the lodge, searching for Miss Muhngony, but it seemed as if the lodge had been deserted. Taking no time to linger, I burst through the front door, running across a cleared trail, looking down the hill at the town. As I burst through the doors of each of the towns and homes, I found them empty as well, but I also found something else. Rooms I had never seen before, wide open, but empty. I walked into one of the rooms, and saw a fine, black powder on the floor. I ran my finger through it, and brought it to my nose. Gun powder.

_Dammit!Of course they had more bombs! Every stinkin' building in this damn town had a store of bombs! That wench wouldn't lock us up with her only store of bombs. _

'But, with this many bombs they could. . .'

_They're going to blow up the entire city of Iwa. They don't plan to leave a trace of it left!_

'They've already headed out. We won't be able to catch up to them!'

_I told you there were more dragons, didn't I? Just summon another! Any would do._

But as I put my hands together, there was a great _BANG!_ and a rumble of the ground. I ran out of the house I was currently occupying and looked up at the burning remnants of the blasted lodge.

"Mission complete, Misa," Gonko squeaked in my ear as he appeared out of no where on my shoulder.

"Good job, Gonko," I sighed, my heart pounding in my head. "I'm glad you made it out of there in one piece. Now, I've got another job for you. I need you to tell Lord Kazekage that an entire town of people are heading towards Iwa to bomb it. We need an army of shinobi there, pronto! Oh, and tell him I'm sorry for not writing in a month, but I'll have to explain when this is over. Alright?"

"Got it!" Gonko bowed his head. He leapt into the air with a twirl and then exploded away, leaving a little cloud of smoke behind.

Now with Gonko gone, it was time for me to summon a dragon. With my heart pounding in my head, I formed the familiar signs and was met with a great cloud of smoke. A golden dragon, with long, billowing white mane and facial hair looked down upon me. He had long strands of a mustache that floated along side him, as if forever in a breeze. He was fairly large, but more so, he was long. He could wrap around three houses if he needed to, and with room to spare. He wrinkled his nose when he looked at me.

"Who dares to wake me from my slumber?" he roared in a booming voice.

_Oh, stop trying to act like some mystic dragon god, Moregayo! You're such a drama queen._

"Sarafu?" Moregayo raised a long, bushy, white eyebrow. "So this is what you've been reduced to? Possessing some little human girl. You always were pathetic. I knew this would happen."

_Oh, shut up, you old fart! No, you didn't! It seems Takuro didn't feel like telling you how this happened. Did you two fight again?_

"Of course not! I-" Moregayo began, but was interrupted by Misa.

"How come he can understand you, Sarafu?" She asked aloud.

"The human _dares _to interrupt _me?!_" He shrieked in horror.

_Moregayo is the fastest of all the dragons, thanks to his physique. He can travel up to 180 mph if necessary. But, he also has ESP. He can tune into the voices of spirits, but usually, only spirits in limbo. I'm surprised he didn't hear me calling out for him when I was dead._

Her voice sounded sarcastic, and from Moregayo's haughty fling of his nose into the air, he had chosen to not hear her cries for help.

_But we must put the past behind us, and look to the future in front of us. So, Moregayo, I implore you to forget past quarrels with me, and help Misa. Although she may embody my spirit, she is a totally different being. _

Moregayo snorted, a thin stream of smoke gushing out from his open nostrils as he did so. "I have no arguement against this, since she has made a pact, but I'll take orders from her and no one else. Our pact was made void when you died, Sarafu."

_You'd make a great politician, Moregayo. Not a single honest bone in your body._

Moregayo ignored her, and looked straight at Misa, who could feel that this dragon had many years of greatness to boast about. "I am Moregayo, pactmaker, Misa, I am the second eldest of the dragons, Takuro being the first since he was here since the beginning of time. I have seen all the evil of man, and do not wish to be used as a killing machine. I have sworn never to fight again. So if it is a weapon your wanting, you're looking at the wrong dragon."

_That's very noble, Transport Dragon._

Moregayo's eye twitched. "Just because I don't mindlessly slaughter people whom I have no quarrel with, does not mean I am a mere transport dragon! I am the most noble and wise-"

_Excluding Takuro, of course._

"Of course," Moregayo was looking dishevled now. "But that doesn't me I'm some sort of sissy! I can take on a thousand men!"

_Oh, I don't think you can, old lizard. You're so old! I don't think you'll even be able to make it far enough to even transport Misa._

"You-! I can kill any who opposes me, and I'll show you!" Moregayo flared his nostrils, steam flying about him. He turned to Misa, his eyes glaring fiercly. "Get on!"

Misa obeyed, clambering over his scaly back, and grasping onto his coarse, white hair. He shot off into the air, at such a speed that Misa was almost flung off. The ground fell down beneath them, and soon, they were flying in the clouds.

_See,_ Sarafu whispered, so that Moregayo wouldn't hea her. _He's quite easy to control. Just likes a challenge to be presented before him. He especially reacts when you poke fun at his age._

'You're frightening, Sarafu.'


	33. The Domino Effect

**A/N: **Aha! You though this story was dead! But it is not! I was finally inspired to round of this chapter, which I pretty much had already done, and present it. We finally see some actual plot twist!

**The Domino Effect**

"I can see the city!" I pointed over the top of the golden feathers that I clung to.

"Yes, I saw it a long time ago," Moregayo snorted, and a little wisp of steam made its appearance before it was pushed out of sight by the aggressive wind. "It's nothing to get excited about, but since you've just now noticed it, that means we will be arriving soon. Have you even thought of a plan?"

"Of course!" I shouted indignantly over the loud squeal of the wind rushing past us. "We go in and kick their butts, then get rid of as much bombs as possible."

"Heavens, you two sound so much alike," the elderly dragon sighed, as he raised higher to catch up on a sonic stream. "Was that you or her speaking?"

I was still and didn't answer him immeadiately. "I don't think I know anymore."

"The sooner you kick her out of your body the better," Moregayo snorted again, but I paid no more attention to the smoke. "It's unnatural for a body to share more than one soul. That's why most Jinchuuriki go insane in their later years. There can only be one soul."

"But I don't really understand," I mused about. "A soul isn't matter. It has no volume. If Sarafu's soul can fit in my body now, what harm is done?"

"It's difficult to explain to you incompetent humans," Moregayo sighed again, as we dropped lower. "As you said, a soul has no volume, so it's not a matter of capacity. It's a matter of _compatibility._ Just like blood types there are soul types. If you mix two different types of blood, the receiver could die. The only thing is that each soul is as different and unique as your bodies."

"But then how come Sarafu can survive in my body?" I questioned. "Do we have the same soul type?"

Moregayo's long, golden body swiveled about before it continued its lazy flight. Now that I thought about it, Moregayo had no wings. How was he flying?

"Hmm. . .how to put this in layman's terms," Moregayo said. "I said that all souls are unique, so it's not as simple as soul type. Souls are nonmatter. They are not here, but they do exist. A soul can't live on it's own. These silly stories you humans come up with about ghosts are just simply ridiculous. A soul needs a container to live in this realm. The. . ._atmosphere_ is too opressive here for a soul to exist, and that is why when a person dies, their soul needs to either find a compatible container, or travel to the realm that allows them to exist.

"Now, the ideology of a heaven existing, not even I know, being one of the wisest dragons alive. And it is for that very reason: I have never died. You'd have to ask Sarafu about that, but I doubt she stayed long enough to give you a detailed account."

Taking note of his advice, I continued, eager to learn more, and knowing that Sarafu was listening as well. "Can a soul reside in something other than a body? Like an object?"

"I'm not sure," Moregayo admitted. "Though all attempts I have ever known have failed. Many of those desperate to stay alive, try to store their souls into an object, and even aother person, but that is quite difficult."

"Then how come Sarafu could? She was in a parrot, too."

"Ah! There, you see, goes back to the question of how she can even be in there at all!" Moregayo looked as if he had just solved the worlds most difficult riddle, and was about to gloat about how he had done it. "The reason others have failed, is because the body rejects them. I have seen some try to even inject a soul into a corpse, and still the body is not enough to control the spirit. You, my ignorant little human, have something that others don't: a connection."

Although I knew I should be understanding at this point, I wasn't. "What connection is that? Before now, we didn't even know the other existed!"

"How am I supposed to know that?" Moregayo snapped. "You are the accesory of a miracle, human! You, unknowingly though it may have occured, have succeed where others have given their lives into failing! Only you and Sarafu can find the answers to this puzzle. I have no experience where this is concerned. Personally, I think it's a foolish and feeble attempt. The Other Realm might be a bit more comfortable, and less noisy. This connection that holds you two together, is something phenomenal! It could be anything! For all we know, the connection that holds you two together could be Fate."

I mused on all of that information for a while before something clicked in my head. "You still haven't told me why our sharing a body is dangerous."

"As I have stated before, human," Moregayo said as if he was talking to an idiot. "A soul is not matter. It exists, yet it is not there. Souls have practically no boundaries. That's why they need a container to exist in this realm. If you keep two souls packed closely together as yours and Sarafu's are now, the line where your soul ends and hers begins may become fuzzy. If you wait too long, your souls may become so merged, you won't be able to tell the difference.

"Sarafu controls your brain just as mush as you do, which is why you are able to think to each other. Soon, you won't be able to differ your thoughts from hers, you may even have a lapse of memory, and suddenly become another person. Sarafu's soul is like a parasite to yours is. It's eating away at your personality, and slowly taking residencein your body. If you two don't seperate soon, you just might become Sarafu herself, and the Misa that you are will cease to exist."

The reality of the situation suddenly dawned on me. Could Sarafu have been planning to take over my body from the moment she possessed me?

_That's not true, Misa! I knew as much as you did about this! I never would've possessed someone if I knew I would be stealing their body! No offense, but I'd rather have my body back. Even if it is a dragon right now, I still want it back._

"Then you better hurry," Moregayo spoke, as his head tilted downward. "Or your souls just might merge, and you'll never be able to leave that body until you die, and that time, you might not be so lucky. Listen, Iwa is just ahead, where do you want me to drop you two off?"

"I think we should try to spot any activity from the sky, it would be best if we knew where they were heading in the city."

_I doubt that will help. They will more than likely plant the bombs inside the buildings._

"Yeah, but going door to door looking for stuff isn't going to do any good either," I argued.

"Well, it seems that this human still has her brain working functionally," Moregayo snorted again, as he swooped below the clouds.

The stone towers of buildings seemed to grow from the core of Iwa. Tall in the middle as they shrunk to the outher ring of the city. It seemed as though the central city tried it's best to reach the sky, but the rock towers were still rooted heavily to the ground. And all around Iwa, everything was a dull, but definite brown that had an exactness to it. The buildings were all straight and didn't lean in the least bit. Iwa had some pretty good architects.

_You're right, Misa. Taking a look from the sky was a great idea! I know where they're going to set the bombs._

'What? Where?'

_The central city! All those towers in the middle, they'll come tumbling down onto the rest of the city. It'll create a sort of domino effect. But do do this, they don't need to bring the buildings down-_

"They need to topple them over!" I exclaimed aloud. "But how will they do that with bombs?"

"They detonate the bombs at the foundation of the building," Moregayo answered. "That way, it is unstable, and they set off an explosion at the roof of one of the buildings next to it, so that the blast from the explosion will cause it to fall in the direction they want. However, they need to blow up the foundations of the buildings around them, to loosen them up as well, but once they gain enough momentum, they can crush the other buildings, and make them fall over, as well."

_Um. . .thanks. Well, what building would be best for that? The tallest one?_

Moregayo chuckled.

_What? If you've got something to say, then spit it out!_

"I'm sorry, it's just that you both are so stupid, it's quite amusing," Moregayo chuckled harder, his mirth shaking his entire body, including Misa. "If they push over the tallest building, it would only crush the other buildings with it's weight, and the destruction would end there. So, you would need to destroy small buildings and make them fall over."

_And what buildings would those be, Mr. Smarty Pants?!_

"Buildings tall enough to knock others over," Moregayo explained. "And you can conveniently find a ring of those in the middle of the buildings. Luckily, most of the residential buildings are along the outer ring, so they won't experience any damage."

_Then, to the middle rings! We'll split up and. . .oh, wait, sorry. It just feels like I have a body too sometimes._

"Wait a second, you can, Sarafu," I thought aloud, although it was quite unneccesary with Moregayo's ESP. "I've been out of my body before while you control it."

"YOU WHAT?!" Moregayo halted so suddenly I went toppling over his head and began to plummet down to the ground.

Before I could utter my scream, I collided with Moregayo's body. He was a fast dragon.

"You went _outside _of your body, while Sarafu was still in there?!" Moregayo shouted.

"What's wrong? Isn't that a good thing?" I said, gripping even tighter to his tuft of feathers. "Doesn't that mean we're not as connected as you think?"

"You stupid little human!" Moregayo spat at me. "I told you that souls aren't something that take up space! Just because you're out of the body, doesn't mean you don't interact! The fact that you're two souls have made contact with each other, means that you're souls will from now on naturally attract to each other. What I'm more worried about is that fact that you still exist! You shouldn't be able to exist out of your body without passing on! That's impossible!"

_Well, apparantly us sharing a body was impossible so maybe that has something to do with it._

"Well, for once, I don't know the solution to a problem," Moregayo admitted.

_How does it feel to stoop to our level?_

"Miserable," Moregayo sighed. "I'll drop you on one of these buildings, you better start searching around the bottom of them. If the foundations are solid, then the buildings won't fall over. Receive damage, yes, but the domino effect won't happen."

"Alright," I nodded, and was ready for the drop this time.

Moregayo swooped down next to one of the identical brown buildings. As he swished past the space between the buildings I leapt off and landed with a roll along the roof. Once I managed to stand up, he floated near the roof for a few last words.

"These bombs were made by Deidara, so they will have clay in them somewhere," he told us. "He's an earth type, which is weak against lightening. Remember that." Then he disappeared.

_Stupid Moregayo! Stop giving us hints and just tell us what to do!_

'Hey, Sarafu, what'd he mean by earth type?'

_Oh, all ninjas have a certain elemental type they are disposed to. Since Deidara is an earth type, he works with clay. There's fire, water, wind, earth, and lightening. Fire's weak against water, and so on and so forth. So. . .since he puts clay in all of his bombs that means. . ._

'If we use electricity, they'll become duds!'

_Yes! That's what he wanted us to get! See, Moregayo, we're not slow!_

'Sarafu, he's not here anymore.'

_Oh, I'm sure he's listening in on us._

'Well, even if we know how to deactivate his bombs, how're we supposed to do that?'

_Maybe. . .I'm not sure exactly how, but maybe-just maybe, if we can send an electrical current throughout Iwa, we could deactivate all of the bombs, without having to move a muscle!_

'Ok, but how are we supposed to do that?'

_Now on that, I'm not exactly sure. We'd need to send an electrical current strong enough to go through all of the buildings, but how exactly are we supposed to do that?_

'Don't look at me! We share he same thoughts you know. I'm thinking s much as you are.'

_I've got it! Takuro is the weather dragon! He can create a lightening storm and shock this whole place!_

'But that's too uncertain. The lightening will most likely strike the tallest object! It probably won't even reach over here.'

_Then we need something to attract the lightening. . .but what?_

Before I plan could be completely formulated, the door to the roof suddenly burst open. I flicked around to see about three men all in black glaring at me. I recognized them as the very same men who had whistled at me just that morning. How far away that seemed.

"You're right, Boss, someone did land here," one of them said in a husky voice. "You weren't imagining that dragon after all!"

"Hey, isn't this that little lady Lord Deidara told us to keep there?" a scrawny looking man that needlessly wore sunglasses on such a nice, cloudy day.

"Yeah, what's she doing here?" the one with his red hair slicked back said.

"Who cares?" A big tall one came up from behind of them, and from the air of authority he had about him, he was "Boss."

They all began to walk slowly and menacingly towards me, and I saw an axe in each of their hands. Their lumberjack muscles were flexing threateningly. There was no way puny, little me could take on four buff men. My mind was working frantically for a plan.

"Hey, don't you want to give the bad guy monologue first?" I said, and it confused them. Yes! I got the dumb ones!

"What's she talking about?" the looked at each other.

"You know," I said as if ti was plainfully obvious. "The speech the bad guys always give in the movies before they unleash their master plan."

"Ah, but that's just the movies," Boss stepped in front of them all. "In the movies, the girl is saved by the hero, but unfortunately, this is reality, girly, and there's no on here to save you. Besides, they always tell their plan in the monolouge. That's just stupid."

"Yeah, the one with the sunglasses added. "It's not like we'd tell you who has the detonator!"

The one called Boss smacked Sunglasses Guy across the head. But as he was doing that, the Slick Red Hair guy said, "Hey, isn't that Miss Muhngony?"

I smiled. Mission accomplished. "But you're mistaken. I _am _the hero!" With that note, I whipped out my chakram, and leapt into battle.

They were easier to take out than I thought. I just needed to avoid their hulking movements and they crashed into each other. One of them even hit their own boss. As they lay in an unconcsious pile on the floor, I replaced my unused Luna to her clasp on my belt and ran down the stairs. I was on the top floor of the building, and it was as plainly decorated on the outside. It gave the feel of a doctor's office, with the fake ficus plants on each of the corners and the cheesy wall paper of different colored patterns. Iwa was clearly lacking in Interior Designers.

I walked down the narrow halls slowly, peeking suspiciously around each corner. No one seemed to be in sight and the entire building was silent. Were they closed? How'd Miss Muhngony's henchmen get in here?

There were too many questions and not enough answers. I traveled down the stairs, two at a time, and rounded the corner to look upon the bottom floor. The front lobby of the building was empty except for a black-haired woman sitting behind the front desk, which didn't have any obvious way of how she got back there. As I walked up to the tall black desk, my footsteps echoed through the hall. I tapped on the little bell on the desk to try and get the woman's attention, but she ignored me. Because she was looking down, I couldn't see her face.

"Umm. . .excuse me," I said loudly at first, but when my voice echoed, I quieted down in chagrin. "Is there a basement to this building?"

"I'll answer your question with another question," a familiar, cold voice came to me. The woman looked up and I saw, to my horror, that I was staring Miss Muhngony in the face. "How'd you escape?"

"You-!" I gasped, and leapt back, hands at the ready. "So the bomb is here, then?"

"Only one of many," Miss Muhngony gave a shrewd smile.

"Where are the people?" I demanded her. "It's the middle of the day, they should still be at work!"

"We are civilized people, Misa," Miss Muhngony continued to smile. "We evacuated them."

"But what about the rest of the people in the city?" I shouted. "Are you just going to destroy the whole place?"

"Yes," Miss Muhngony stood up, and walked out from behind the desk. "Lord Deidara has ordered us to blow up Iwa, but he didn't tell us to kill anyone, and I'd rather not. It's so senseless destroy future labor."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, since Iwa will be destroyed, its people will have no home," Miss muhngony explained clearly as she began to pace about, her red heels echoing on the hard tile. "I plan to take them into my custody and transform them into workers. I am not the little daughter of some stupid lumbermill company. I will be the new CEO of Salt Rock Inc.! Iwa is full of salt mines! This place will make me a fortune. I can stop selling them to all of Iwa's previous investors, and demand a higher price for their salt."

"Raising the price of salt?!" I gasped in indignation. "Now that's just evil! The people demand their sodium!"

"Ha ha ha! And what is one girl going to do about it?" Miss Muhngony derided me. "I have bombs placed all over the city, and with one push of this button," she held up a small device with a red button on the top "I'll destroy the entire Rock capital!"

"Not if I can help it!" I shouted. I flung my fist into the air and all of the traps I had secretly placed were now sprung. A thousand wires now restrained Miss Muhngony, causing her to be completely immobile. "While you were monolouging, I decided to set a trap. I'm surprised, you're stupider than your lackies."

Miss Muhngony laughed before she exploded into smoke.

_A clone?!_

Before my brain could process what was happening, I found the edge of an axe to my throat. I heard the real Miss Muhngony laugh from behind me. "Silly girl!" she spat. "It is I who laid the trap. Now, I'll put an end to you, whether Lord Deidara likes it or not."

She pulled the axe closer to her and it sliced my neck. But instead of blood pouring out, there was only smoke. From my hiding place behind the desk, I gave a small sign of victory. 'No, Miss Muhngony, _I _laid the trap.'

While she was still covered in smoke, I dove toward her, and my fist landed in her face. I heard her squeal and fly backwards and crash into a wall. As dust exploded around me, I gave a small, triumphant smirk. When had I become this strong? I used to be so weak, expecting everyone's help, but now. . .

"Fool. . ." the strangled voice came to me through the settling dust cloud. Miss Muhngony rose from a small pile of debri, her face bloody and her nose crooked. She no longer had that air of superiority about her, and in her hand, was the device, dusty, but still intact. "I'll destroy this entire city, right now! We'll all die with it! HA HA HA HA HA!"

I looked into her crazed eyes. This wasn't about money anymore. If she killed herself, Miss Muhngony's plan would be useless. Miss Muhngony had something personal against Iwa. But before I could find that out, her thumb drew slowly to the red button. And. . .

. . .the glass door to our right shattered as a dark figure burst into the room. Both Miss Muhngony and I watched in shock as the device was slapped out of her hand and skid across the floor about four meters away from us. I turned to my rescuer, and first noticed the giant fan.

"TEMARI!" I cried in such a great relief tat tears were brought to my eyes. How I missed her!

Temari turned her sandy blonde head to give me a cocky smirk. "You got yourself into another pickle, eh, kid?" she said.

"I'm a ninja now," I grinned from ear to ear. "Trouble is my forte."

Temari gave a slight chuckle before she turned her attention back to the stunned enemy, who was quickly recovering. Temari swung her giant fan, and a gust enveloped within the walls of the building. The device was blown away to who knows where, but I didn't care as long as the bad guy didn't have it.

"You got a plan?" Temari asked me without taking her eyes off of Miss Muhngony.

"Actually, yes," I shouted over the noise of the wind. "I need something that will attract lightning."

"A copper rod would do the trick," Temari told me. "But why do you-"

"No time to explain!" I shouted, already heading for the door. "I've got to hurry."

_Copper rods! Of course! There's got to be plenty of metals, here in Iwa!_

I nodded, and looked around the empty street. But where would I find a bunch of copper rods? I ran down the street towards the center of the city, wondering why there wasn't the pandimonium of battle. The tall, brown buildings loomed over me, their empty windows following my movements, wondering what I would do to save them form destruction.

'We need to find somewhere with a lot of electronics,' I thought in my head. 'Copper is used to conduct electricity all the time. I can't believe this never occured to me before.'

_But we're in a ninja village, and Iwa at that. This place is nothing but government buildings! _

'But Iwas has ninja's too, right?' I told Sarafu.

_Of course, but they're all out in the war, right now. The Iwakage probably doesn't even know about the danger his village is in right now._

'Well, I've seen you guys wear radio transmitters to talk across great distances,' I explained. 'So, if these guys have it too, I can expose the wires inside, and use those!'

_That's not a half bad idea. It just might work. Well, we'll need to get to their ninja headquarters and break into their item stock. It's probably in th middle of the city._

"We can't run that fast!" I exclaimed aloud.

"Maybe I can help then," a familiar, deep voice chilled my spine.

I flung around to see none other than Gaara, looking down at me from his floating cloud of sand, a slight smirk playing across his face.

"Gaara!" I exclaimed, wanting to hug him more than ever right now.

"If you need to get somewhere, I can fly you there," he told me, as he lowered his cloud to the ground.

"Thanks!" I smiled broadly and leapt onto the cloud next to him. It was surprisingly firm, as if Gaara were carrying a chunk of the desert with him.

"Where to?" He asked, his sea foam eyes scanning the city.

"The Iwakage's office building," I told him, and instantly the cloud moved into action.

"What do you want to go there for?" he asked.

"I need to get some of those radio transmitters," I told him. "I've got a plan and those are vital."

Gaara merely nodded his recognition.

I took this time to look at him. I hadn't seen him in nearly half a year! His hair had grown out a little so that it weighed down his messy hair, and it curled around his eyes. His "love" symbol was now covered up, and now it was hard to discern whether Gaara had eyebrows or not, because his meesy hair was reaching his eyes. He looked a bit taller now, much taller than me. With his arms crossed over his chest and his shin raised so that it was parallel with the ground, he became the steadfast pillar of superiority. He looked more like the Kazekage than ever.

"You've grown as well," he told me when he noticed I was staring at him.

I blushed and averted my eyes. I must have looked ridiculous, and slightly creepy. I hope I didn't drool.

"You've grown as a ninja as well as a woman," he continued, his eyes turning back to watch where they were going. "You're hair has grown out quite a bit as well."

I instinctively touched my head, and let my fingers travel down my strands of hair to find out that they now passed my shoulders. Cutting my hair had been the last thing on my mind. I looked down at myself. My clothes were dirtied and felt tighter than I remembered. My gloves had been torn, and my sandals had turned a nice shade of brown. I suddenly felt ashamed to be in Gaara's presence.

"We're here," his voice broke my thoughts. "Hold on, I'll use my Hidden Eye to find exactly where they are."

Gaara put two fingers to his right eye, which was now closed. Bits of the sand cloud broke off to form a floating eyeball in front of us, which floated through the window of the building in front of us. We waited for about seven minutes before the eye came floating back and dissolved back into the sand cloud.

"There in a storage room three doors to your left," he said after opening his eye. "There doesn't seem to be anyone around."

He drew the sand cloud nearer to the window so I could climb in. I hesitated, looking at how far down the ground was.

"I'll be here when you get back," Gaara said.

I nodded, finding renewed confidence, and climbed through the window. The hallway was empty as Gaara had stated. After checking both directions twice, I snuck as quietly as I could to the left, numbering the doors. When I had reached the third one, I slowly turned the knob and mentally cursed when it creaked. It was a small room lined with shelves. I snuck past the shelves to a cabinet and opened it to find the radio trnsmitters. I grabbed as much as I could, carrying an armful. I poked my head back out the door, and ran to the window, giddy at doing something so mischevious.

Gaara grabbed a handful of the radios so that I could free a hand to climb safely through the window and onto the sand cloud.

* * *

_Are you ready?_

'Ready, Freddy.'

_Please, don't ever say that again, or think it._

I took a kunai knife out a cut a small slit in my thumb, just enough to draw blood. My hands moved instinctively, even though I've only summoned a few times in my life. "_Kuchiyose no jutsu!"_

The moment I said those words, I could feel the chakra being sucked out of me, as if a vampire were sinking its fangs into my felsh at that very moment. I fell to my knees, not even enough energy to stand left in me, but enough to look up at the reason of my depletion. A massive green wall was in front of me, made of shiny, rock hard scales. The wall began to move, a breeze following it, and as the wall moved away and into the air, I realized that I had been gaping at the largest dragon I had ever seen. It's body all in itself could wrap around the entire city of Iwa, and its soft, golden eyes were the size of large windows. A furry line of deep green hair trailed down its back all the way to the tip of its tail where little tufts of it dusted a building's side.

_Misa, this is Takuro, the largest, oldest, and most powerful summon dragon, and also a weather dragon. Not a weather god, mind you. He always says he's as mortal as the rest of us, though he's lived since the beginning of this planet. _

"Yes, I was born of the gases in the atmosphere meeting with the heat of the sun, and the toxic gases of underwater volcanoes that made their way to the surface," Takuro's booming voice shook the whole planet, although he spoke in a whisper.

I looked back at Gaara, wondering if he had seen a dragon this big before. His stoic face remained, but he seemed tense. Maybe he hadn't...

"From the look of things, it seems you want me to cause a lightening storm," his golden eyes surveyed the city. "I must say, this is a clever little plan you've concocted. I'm glad to see that you'll get along just fine with Sarafu."

I furrowed my eyebrows. What does that have to do with anything?

_Takuro's even smarter than Moregayo, even if he doesn't flaunt it like him. I find it hard to follow him sometimes too._

The gargantuan dragon turned his soft and saddened eyes on me. "I'm sorry you've been dragged into this," Takuro spoke softly. "Adventure is a dual package: you can' have the excitement without the danger. But humans only live once, so they might as well live it up, though I much rather prefer the peaceful life. It may be uneventful, but-"

_Takuro! Please! We kind of have bad guys roaming the city._

"Oh, yes, sorry," Takuro's chuckle caused a mini earthquake in the city. "You might want to take cover in one of the buildings. I can't guarantee you won't be struck by lightening."

Gaara was already at the door, when I turned and walked towards the door to downstairs.


	34. Back To Basics

**A/N: **Wow, I'm sorry for the long hiatus! I didn't mean to ignore my fanfictions for so long. Well, here's another chapter to an old, but not forgotten story. (I had to go back 9 chapters to remember what happened. ;) Oh, and you even get a history lesson in this one!

**Back To Basics**

"I've sent squads to round up the last of the remaining enemies," Gaara's words infiltrated my daydreaming.

"Un," was all I could say.

My lightning plan had worked, and all of the bombs were deactivated. The Sand ninja had found the Iwa citizens wrangled into a large underground chamber beneath the Iwakage's office building. Everyone was working to get everything back in order, except for me.

I sat on the roof of the tallest building, looking out to the horizon and on the city landscape below.

_Hey, can't you be a little nicer? _Sarafu nagged me. _It's been _months_ since we've seen him! I've missed him so much! He also saved our hides you know!_

"I know," I mumbled.

Gaara glanced at me, when I suddenly made a noise. I had forgotten to think those words and not say them aloud.

"It's been a little over a half a year since I've lost seen you," Gaara said as he too looked at he landscape. "You're hair has grown out. You look much older."

"I'm sorry, Gaara," I stood up suddenly, "I know you really want to talk to Sarafu, and she does too, however, there's something I need to find first: the answer."

"The answer to what?" he asked me.

"To my salvation," I said, and then walked past him, and down the stairs.

_Why are you being so cold? _

'This is a matter of my existence! You may not care, but I want to continue living!'

_Sorry…_

I trekked through the city to the national Rock library. If this country was said to have the most knowledge, then maybe there was an answer to my dilemma. The library was as plain and brown as the city. The pale, sandy colored shelves only seemed to depress you as you walked through the double doors. The rows and rows of tall bookshelves foretold my tedious task. I groaned as I wandered around, looking for any section on mysticism or spirituality.

After what felt like hours, I found a book titled _Spiritology: Study of the Soul, Volume VII._ I had no idea as to where the other volumes were. The book had been crammed behind _Ghouls or Gimmicks? _And from its dusty frame, it was more than likely forgotten. I carefully leafed through the pages, quickly scanning over the texts for anything that might pop out at me. Just before boredom made me put it back on the shelf, I noticed a page that had a picture of a human body with circulations going through it, and it didn't seem to be blood.

"_. . . Studies have led us to believe that the sources of Chi that run through the human body are actually part of the soul," _I read aloud, not bothering if anyone heard me or not. "_The soul travels through various paths, or 'veins', throughout the human body, reaching to every inch of every appendage. Many scientists and paranormal investigators hypothesize that with technique, one could project the very essence of the spirit, or Chi, if you will, in the form of an attack._"

_Wait, they're talking about Chakra! But they act as if this is unknown. How old is this book?_

I flipped to the front and back of the book, but there were no signs as to when it was published.

_Then that must mean it's over a hundred years old! Books have lasted for thousands of years, but there were no publishers until the late 19__th__ century!  
_

"Will a nearly hundred year old book help us?" I wondered aloud.

_Well modern technology doesn't seem to be of any use. What's the worse that could happen?_

'It ends up being some cursed book that flings us into the Netherworld where we rot for eternity.'

_Emo much? _

I chuckled before speed reading through the rest of the page, and continuing until I reached another interesting spot. I continued to read aloud, not bothering if anyone heard me, especially since the library appeared to be completely deserted.

"_The soul, an invisible, and altogether impalpable absence of matter that we believe to exist, but cannot prove, is in each one of us. All the religions of the world preach on the presence of a soul, of another form of being other than our physical bodies, unseen and untouched. If the soul truly does exist as we believe it to, then it should be possible to transfer it into another body-in theory. But first, we must understand the molding of a soul and how it is able to exist in its physical container."_

I read through the last of it, too engrossed in the knowledge to bother using my vocal cords any longer. The rest of the explanation was similar to Moregayo's, in that the soul could not survive in this world without a physical host. Although the author disapproved of possession of lifeless objects, it did state the possibility of transferring a soul into a plant.

'Does this mean that a tree could host a soul?' I glanced over my shoulder and out the dusty window. 'Could a tree outside actually be a person?'

_I was wondering that exact same thing. It's a freaky thought._

Anxious now, I continued reading, hoping that my answer would come. But my hopes were in vain.

I read to the end of the book and reread the whole thing, but there was nothing in the ways of separating two souls in one body; no answer to my dilemma. I slammed the book shut and crammed it into the shelf.

"Damn idiots, they told me nothing new!" I gritted my teeth in frustration.

_Ok, calm down, we may know nothing about how or why we're like this, but there is one solution: we get back my original body._

'Yeah, but isn't that currently on the moon right now?'

_Yes, but think, why would a giant dragon of superior intelligence bother coming down to the Earth in the first place? _

'To have some fun? The Moon must be boring.'

_Exactly! Akatsuki's plans and ours are the same! The only problem is that they're taking too long to try and draw it here on the ground. We need to find a way to bring him to us._

'Sort of like a summon?'

_Misa, you genius! That's it!_

My heart with a foreign excitement and moved on its own, charging through the aisles. I had no idea where my body was taking me, but it skidded to a stop in front of one aisle, as if it knew where to go. Had Sarafu just controlled my body without pushing me out of it?

_Of course! It's all connected! The _Jinchuuriki_ and summons! Why are these monsters here in the first place? How come only the nine tailed monsters don't obey summons, and where do these summons come from?_

'I don't think you'll find the answers here, in these books.'

In response to my statement, Sarafu moved my hand to grab a small, beaten leather journal with crinkled, yellowed pages that felt like parchment. Without her help, I flipped through the pages, scanning the texts with the utmost scrutiny.

'It's a journal,' I realized.

_Yes, that is Abu Abdullah Ibn Battuta's personal journal. He's a Sunni Islamic traveler from the 14__th__ century. He's a real stuck up guy, however, he traveled the entire eastern half of the world, and wrote down every detail in this journal. _

'How do you know all this? How did you know it was here?'

_He's still in Limbo; I met him there, and talked with him for a bit. He told me about these legends of monsters that he met in this place called India. I thought he was just some crazy, ignorant, ancient dude, but now that I think about it, his accounts sounded sort of like the nine tailed monsters. Anyhow, I also happened to meet an old scholar who found his journals and realized it had been passed here. _

'So, you think this guy might be able to tell us something about the monsters?'

_Hopefully…Well, there's only one way to find out._

I looked at the first page, and my stomach fell. The strange scribbling on the paper was alien to me. I had no idea what language this was.

_It's alright, I can read ancient Arabic. You learn a lot when you die._

I nodded and proceeded to read through this Ibn Battuta guy's journal, with Sarafu's help. She was right. He was a jerk. I began to abominate him even more as I progressed through his travels; I especially disagreed with his views on women's rights. It wasn't until the 53rd entry that I finally found something interesting.

_1342, Belhi, India – Myths of the Indians and My Views on Their Ideology_

_I visited the Sultan in Belhi today. His palace was grand with magnificent colors and plenty of shrines dedicated to Allah. I was given a warm welcome, with a large banquet for me and my traveling companions. I'm impressed by the Royal Servants' duty to prayer. They even discipline their children, both male and female, to memorize the Qu'ran. _

_Their women are humble and covered, and do not socialize with men friends as they did in the salt mines of Berber. I find the palace, overall, a pleasant place. It is outside the palace walls where I find much lacking in the ways of the Muslim. There had been a rumor spreading about a demon, a large lizard with wings, like the Chinese believe, come from the north to terrorize them. A Christian monk, whom had previously resumed his monastic hermitage in the mountains, came down to preach upon a demon set on us from God, for our sacrilege. I believed that years of isolation had made this Christian monk crazy. He had become a nuisance to the people, and they were becoming violent by his attack on our religion. The Sultan, as a result of this, ordered me to investigate the rumor, as to put the people's minds at ease and reveal the monk's lies. _

_The rumor led me deep into the mountains, not near the monk's hut; I climbed with my caravan to the very top of the Himalayans where I found a secluded valley not known to the locals. There we found a serene pool that was untouched by the raging winds of the surrounding sierra. One of the servants was sent to check the pool. He stuck his hand into the pool, however it produced no ripple. He removed his hand, frightened, but it was not wet. Believing that we had stumbled upon a new aspect of the rumor, the rest of the troupe traveled down the valley to the large pool. I was struck to find a reflection of the moon in this pool; however, it was only midday. One of the slaves, a scrawny boy with strange eyes with many rings, said he saw 'another world' as he described it. The strange slave boy was obviously mistaken, for there was nothing but the strange reflection of the moon. _

_Luckily, these were the only curiosities, and we found no monster. We returned to the Sultan where we abolished the monk, and were then ordered to deliver a generous gift of gold and . . ._

I stopped reading because the rest appeared boring. I took a deep breath, and let the information sink into my head. Although they didn't find the "large lizard with wings", that pool-of water, possibly? Ibn Battuta didn't specify-was especially interesting.

'We'll definitely need to check that out. But we don't even know where this India place is.'

_We can ask Takuro. He knows everything! I'm sure he'd be able to take us there, and possibly explain what the pool is as well. _

'But first. . .'

I placed the journal back on the shelf and looked out the window with a sigh. "I want to go home."

* * *

It had felt like forever since I last saw Suna. The fine sand in my face felt like a welcoming grasp of the warm desert breeze. I had almost forgotten the smooth curve of the domes and the friendly faces of the merchants in their booths in the market square. I had almost forgotten my family. 

"Misa, my baby!" My mom cried when she had found me. She had long been discharged from the hospital, and now resumed her peaceful life. "Where the hell have you been?! I've been worried sick! You disappeared for months, and even the Kazekage was at a loss at where to find you!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," I muttered, not struggling in her massive bear-hug.

A sickening feeling of guilt rose up in me. I had completely forgotten about my family. I looked at my little sister who smiled at me, and my brother who looked unbelievingly at my presence. It felt good to sit down at the table with my family and share one of Mom's home-cooked meals. Oh! And the feeling of my own bed! How nice that was! I wrapped myself in my warm comforters, unable to wipe the smile off of my face. Home. . .

"What are these?" I looked at the clothes my mom flung at me.

"You've been wearing the same outfit for six months!" My mother exclaimed as she folded laundry. "Even a lame mother like me knows you need a fashion recycle. Your brother helped me pick it out for you. Something that won't restrict movement and will keep you warm."

I paused and looked at my mother, but before I could say anything she spoke first. "I'm not an idiot. I know you'll be leaving again. I know I can't stop that now. You were going to leave the house someday…it's just…" She set down the green shirt she had been folding and looked at me with a weary face. "I just wish you weren't flying the coop into such dangerous winds. It's a dangerous world, out there, and I know you're getting into the most dangerous part of it. I'm proud of you, sweetie, for all that you've accomplished, and all that you're contributing to Suna as a ninja, but . . . I just want you to be safe."

I blinked to try and hold back the tears that were coming to soothe my burning eyes. I still loved my mom, even if I was going to leave her. I hated to do this to her, but it was necessary.

'I promise, Mom, when I'm finished with all of this, I'll stay back home, and work for your retirement fund!'

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting our moment of bonding. I ran to the door to see who our interloper was, and found none other than Temari, her face as stern as usual.

"Hey, the Kazekage wants to see you," Temari said immediately, and with impatience.

"What? Why?" I said, confused.

Temari's eyebrow furrowed. "Gaara's a considerate person and allowed you to spend some time to reunite with your family, but we still haven't heard what happened to you the whole seven months you were gone!"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'll go do that now." I turned back and shouted around the corner, "Hey, Mom! I'm going to visit Gaara for a bit! Don't worry, I'll come back this time!"

I ran out the door, following Temari, towards the Kazekage's office. A wave of nostalgia filled me when I entered the circular office. I remembered the first time I stepped foot in here. How long ago it seemed. I was so nervous then. Now, it seemed so familiar, like a second home. I saw Gaara in his leather seat, and he motioned for me to sit down. Kankurou was standing next to him, too agitated to sit down.

"So, Misa, would you mind enlightening us on what's happened to you?" I could hear the anger in Gaara's voice. He hadn't forgotten. . .

"Well, after I left for Konoha," I began, "I admit, I…I was actually planning on asking Naruto for his help on defeating Deidara. Now! Don't get me wrong! I wasn't going to put him in danger, just use him as bait! He had his buddies with him! It was five against one, wait, actually two. Ya'll still don't' know…"

I cringed, tightening my jaw. 'Tobi…'

"You remember Inukami, right, Temari?"

"The little guy, yeah," Temari nodded.

"Well, he's actually Tobi, a member of Akatsuki."

Everyone gasped as they looked alarmed.

"I was fighting Deidara, when he appeared, and…" I bit my lower lip as I remembered that fateful night. "After fighting, I fell off a cliff and lost my memory. When I woke up, I was in Homitsu."

I continued, telling them about all that had happened, leaving out a few choice details. When I had finished, the atmosphere felt heavy. Everyone was silent as they took in my information.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Kankurou murmured.

Temari just walked up to me and hugged my head close to her chest, a gesture that felt weird coming from her. "Poor little Misa and Sarafu! We'll never let you out of our sights again!"

"So," Gaara said seriously. "You think an answer to finding the Moon Dragon will be in India?"

My frown became set. "Yes. I plan on summoning Takuro and see if he knows where this India is. He's the wisest being of existence. I'm sure he'll know."

"When do you plan on leaving?" Gaara asked, his poker face perfect.

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly. "I don't want to leave my family, but the longer I prolong this, the worse our condition will become. Tomorrow, maybe?"

"Well, when you do leave, stop by here, Temari and Kankurou will go with you."

"That's not really-"

"No," Gaara said firmly. "They are going with you this time. I'm allowing you to spend your last day with your family alone. It's too dangerous to let you go on your own, and you know that. This is an order from your kage: You _will_ bring Temari and Kankurou with you."

"Yes, sir," I said, lowering my eyes in shame. I had hoped so much that I could become independent, but it seems I'm still weak. "I'll come by tomorrow morning."

---------------------

**A/N: **I'm so proud of actually using my World History class in my writing. Ibn Battuta really is a jerk, but his name is fun to say. (ee-bin bu-toot-a) Of course, I did bend history a little bit. I don't think Ibn Battuta actually had to explore a rumor in India. Say, where is the Naruto continent anyway?

Moral of the Story: The answers to all your problems can be found in your local library!


	35. Reunited And It Feels So Good

**A/N: **Wow, it's been FOREVER since I last updated this. Well, thanks to some SasuNaru fanfics, I feel inspired to continue this! Oh, and trust me, its only going to get better!

**Reunited and It Feels So Good**

"Won't people freak out if they see a giant dragon flying through the sky?" Temari asked me skeptically as she tried to find a comfortable position to sit on Takuro's hard scales.

"He cloaks himself," I answered, after Sarafu told me.

"You still haven't told me where we're going?" Takuro's booming voice shook the air.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I chuckled sheepishly. "Do you know of a place called India?"

Takuro was silent for a long time before he finally spoke, "Yes, but it's not called that here. In this world, it's known as Tsuki."

"Tsuki….like moon?" Temari asked.

"Yes," Takuro answered stiffly.

_Then that must be the right place. _

For some reason Takuro's odd behavior unnerved me. He suddenly seemed unwilling to take us there.

Tsuki, apparently, was an uncharted land, for we passed the Southern borders of Konoha and into unknown lands. Tsuki was a massive rainforest with a thick mist hanging around it. Majestic, purple mountains stuck up from the thick green that coated the earth. Takuro led us deep into the mountains covered in forest. It was freezing up in the mountains, and I became grateful of my new clothes. Takuro landed us in a small, secluded valley, that I probably wouldn't have found if Takuro hadn't flown us.

In the middle of the valley was a serene pool of water, however, the water reflected a half moon and night sky. I looked up at the bright blue sky. It was a little after noon. 'This is it! This is the exact pool that Ibn Battuta found.'

_But he said he found it in India. This is Tsuki. Well, 'in this world' as Takuro said. What does he mean?_

I looked at the massive form of Takuro's emerald body coil around a mountain peak, and his head rest near the valley. His golden eyes looked troubled.

"What is it, Takuro?" I asked him.

Temari and Kankurou turned to look at him as well.

"You are the first humans in centuries to learn this," the giant dragon finally spoke. "That pond over there is a portal between two worlds — no, it'd be more correct to say between two dimensions that share the same planet. Between this world and the world of the Summons."

"What?!" We all exclaimed in unison.

"I know what you must be thinking, Sarafu," Takuro looked at me. "The Moon Dragon does not actually reside on the moon. It is impossible; it needs air as well. So, when it is not present here, it is in the Summon world. In truth, all the tailed monsters have originated from the Summon World. It will be easier to explain once I show you to the other dimension. Just keep swimming up."

"Up?" Kankurou looked confused.

The wise dragon smiled a toothy grin. "You'll understand once you dive in."

The ninjas looked at each other warily. Should they trust this dragon so easily?

"Well, tally-ho!" I said before breaking the flat surface of the pool. The water froze me instantly, chilling even the marrow in my bones. It was very dark inside the pool. As I began swimming down, I got a strange sense of vertigo, like the world had been flipped around on its axis. It felt more like I was swimming up to the surface.

_Do you think maybe we were turned around somehow?_

'I don't know, but I'll need air soon.'

I paddled faster, clawing at the water to desperately try to reach the top. Suddenly, my head met cold air, and I relaxed as much needed air filled my shriveling lungs. I looked around, it was dark, and I could barely make out the rock walls, and dabs of mountain weeds. I looked up into the same sky I had seen in the pond. It was night.

Two more gasps of air shattered the calm to my right. "Temari? Kankurou?"

"Gah! Misa? You okay?" Kankurou's deep voice echoed through the still night air.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"It's so damn dark up here!"

"That's because the moon's covered up by clouds," Temari answered calmly.

"So I guess we're in the other world, then."

"Yeah," came Temari's quiet reply. "Hey, guys, let's get out of the water and dry off. It's freezing."

"Yeah."

We all climbed out of the water. It was even colder with the freezing wind blowing on our wet bodies. Shivering, I looked around. It was the exact same spot where we had come from, just nighttime. I looked over at the flat surface of the pond. Instead of reflecting the starlight, the pond shone a bright blue sky. The same sky I had seen just a few minutes ago. Suddenly, the sky wavered and rippled.

Out popped a long, dark emerald snake with golden eyes. I screamed in terror and fell back on my butt. The snake cautiously drew near me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the voice from the snake was soothing and familiar. "This is the form I take in the Summon World."

"Is that…?" Temari gaped at the serpent.

"Takuro?" I asked.

"Yes," the snake opened its mouth in a toothless grin that made me shudder. I hate snakes.

_Reminds me of my father._

'Oh, yeah, that's right. Your father was Orochimaru, right?'

_I hate that man!_

"Now you see why Summons don't really mention this world very much," Takuro sighed, slithering towards me. "We're all reduced to small animals in this state, and we lose our power. I'm just a normal snake, now."

"So, does that mean that Konkichii and the others are here too?" I asked.

"Yes, but they could be anywhere on the planet. And you can't summon here."

"So how come summons can't travel to our world freely?" Temari asked, wringing her clothes dry. "You came through the pond, right?"

"Actually, I was unsummoned," Takuro said, wrapping himself around my shoulders and resting. "Every time we are unsummoned, we pass through the pool. It's pure luck that I landed here. We never really know where we land. Sometimes we wake up on the far side of the planet. The only ones who can pass through the pool of their own free will are the tailed monsters. They were originally Summons, but they found a way to break their bondage to shinobi, and now can move freely between the two dimensions."

"Does this mean that the tailed monsters can retain their form in this world?" I asked frightfully.

"No," said Takuro to my immense relief. "They are still reduced as we are, but if they wanted to come back and wreak havoc on your world, they could."

"So the Dragon of the Moon could be here?" Kankurou asked. "And it could be a little snake?"

"Yes, but it could be anywhere on the whole planet."

"How the heck are we supposed to find it then?"

"The Moon Dragon, to ensure its safety, has an owner."

"What? Are you serious?" I exclaimed. "The terrifying dragon we've been searching for is a mere house pet?"

"Yes, Misa, you see, this world isn't as safe as yours. And for Summons, especially, we need some way to protect ourselves while we're here. And I do believe the Moon Dragon plans on staying here for a while. It believes that you don't know about this world. After all, the last human to learn of this was that one Uchiha boy…one of the founders of Konoha."

"Really? Uchiha Madara?"

"Yes, that one! Nice man, but he needed to relax. Always so uptight."

"So, do you know where the Moon Dragon is kept?" Temari asked, trying to get us back on track.

"Yes, it's owned by a rich merchant here in India. I know where he lives. I'll show you the way."

So, Takuro guided us down the mountain, coiled around my shoulders. He seemed to know the mountain like the back of his…scales. We managed to find some wild bananas to eat and made our way to the base of the mountain by evening the next day. We took some shelter in a nearby cave, and fell asleep.

The next day, we headed out of the mountains and through thick jungle. If it wasn't for Takuro, I'm sure we would've lost our way easily. Before we knew it, we found ourselves in a crowded bazaar looking seriously out of place amongst all of the brown faces. Everyone in the large city looked scraggly and thin. Their clothes hung off their shoulders, torn and dirty.

"Take a right here," Takuro whispered into my ear. Oh yeah. Maybe the fact that I had a giant, green snake hanging off my shoulders made us stick out as well.

I turned the corner and suddenly, the road was paved, and the buildings began to look less decrepit. The buildings were made of smooth, white adobe, painted with brilliant colors, and booths filled with sparkling trinkets, pottery, and clothes were sprawled out across the road.

We didn't stand out as much here. People wore bright, extravagant clothes with gaudy jewelry. Some he even had cameras hanging around their bright red necks, with sunglasses and caps. What I noticed most was the lack of children. A couple of teenagers might dot the landscape, but very few actual children ran around like the little heathens they are.

We continued down this road until the booths gradually faded away and the buildings became closer together. Suddenly the buildings stopped to reveal what looked like an oasis in the desert. The building was several stories high, completely white, and completely geometrical. It was surrounded by lush, green foliage and a glistening fountain pond in the front. Palm trees lined the road, which lead to the front glass door.

"This is his _house?_" Temari gaped. "It looks more like a mansion."

"A funky looking mansion," Kankurou snorted.

"Well, he is well endowed," Takuro put politely. "Now, I've never been inside before, but I have watched the Moon Dragon slip in and out through the back. Now, you must be very careful, this place is well guarder with lots of cameras."

We nodded. Fun time was over. Now was the time to get serious.

We followed Takuro around the back, making sure to hide behind bushes or any other cover. The back was just as beautifully furnished, which was good for us. More stuff to hide behind. We slid against the wall, avoiding the cameras. Temari just wanted to throw some shuriken at them, but Takuro said that would only alert them. We came to a glass door, and peeked inside. We saw a large room with a couple of couches and armchairs surrounding a wide screen. We tried to the door, but it was locked.

"Look up there," Takuro whispered, pointing his emerald head towards the roof. "A window's open. See if you can toss me up there, and I'll sneak in and check things out."

"Ok," I nodded, and gently picked him up.

The target was about thirty feet up. Calculating the projectory angle in my brain, I wound up, and then shot Takuro…straight into the wall. The large snake flattened and then slid down the wall.

Temari and Kankurou looked at me, dead-panned. "Sorry," I shrugged sheepishly and picked up the dazed Takuro. I hurled him again, and this time, he made it into the window. I pumped my fist in the air in victory. Takuro's little tail waved goodbye at us as he disappeared through the sill.

We waited for what felt like forever before we heard a click at the back door and it slid open. We tread carefully inside.

Turns out, this guy was a collector of snakes. In almost every room we went was a glass box filled with an artificial habitat and a fork-tongued snake. I even saw a two-headed snake once. After about thirty minutes, we found the Dragon of the Moon. It was in the large greenhouse in the center of the house. The second we set foot into the glass room, a long white blur jumped out at me and bit into my shoulder.

Afraid and in pain, I cried out, falling backward onto the tile floor. I looked down at what had bit me and saw a small, but long snowy white snake with sapphire eyes, and its mouth unhinged. I could hear its voice in my head: **How dare you trespass into my realm! I will not let you leave alive!**

I smirked, my eyes suddenly turning golden. "_You don't have the power to say that to me!" _

My hand latched onto the snake, wrenching it from my bleeding shoulder, its fangs tearing into my flesh, but I did not feel the pain. I watched on, horrified, from outside of my body. _"I'll be taking that body back now."_

We all looked on, appalled and disgusted, as I, well, Sarafu, ate the ivory snake whole. Slowly, my body began to glow, and we all shielded our eyes from the blinding light. When we looked back, there were two bodies. Mine lay on the floor, completely lifeless and steadily bleeding from the shoulder. The other body was knelt over mine.

I had seen Sarafu's memories of herself in the mirror, but this was the first time I had ever seen her in person. Her hair was a platinum blue, almost white and it covered her naked body, and her eyes were a serpentine gold. They looked straight at me and smiled, possibly the happiest smile I've ever seen. This was Sarafu. In the flesh.


	36. The Missing Puzzle Piece

**A/N: **Here's another wonderful chapter of _Possessed._ Just a warning, but since Sarafu has her body back now, I'll switch to her point of view on the occasion, such as at the end of this chapter, from now on,but it'll be separated by lines, so don't worry.

WARNINGS: leud refrences/situations, mild cussing (1 word)

**The Missing Puzzle Piece**

I will never forget the look on Gaara's face when he saw Sarafu (wrapped up in only Temari's jacket, no less) when we returned from our mission. His eyes seemed to bulge out o his head, and his messy red hair stood up on end…the intense look of love in his eyes. I could only imagine how many times he dreamed of this moment (though I should hope she was clothed in those). She ran over to him, through open her arms (in doing so exposing her body) and leapt into his arms. Gaara, eyes bulging for another reason now, swept her into his arms and caught her lips with a needy kiss. They had both missed each other very much.

I smiled to cover up the pain I just felt in my heart. For some reason, I couldn't join in on everyone's celebrations. I was happy for Sarafu, definitely, and Gaara, too. This was the moment we had all worked so hard for. Worked eight months for.

There was just something missing that was there before. It seem like a piece of the puzzle that was my life had fallen off, and now the picture I had created for myself just didn't look right. I watched at a distance, as they led Sarafu into the Kazekage building, arms around her smiling. I suddenly felt like an outsider in my own country.

I walked towards the door, and put my hand on the handle, but didn't move after that. Was I the third wheel now? After all, the only reason I ever got to meet any of these people was because Sarafu possessed me. I was never that good of a ninja; I only caused trouble for them. I couldn't even defeat my one enemy. I had already served my purpose here. I had a family waiting for me at home. I had a lot of school to catch up on. I had a life to return to.

'But it's not the life I want,' I thought, and waited for a voice to answer me. 'Oh yeah, that's right. No more Sarafu. I'm all alone in here.' And how lonely that felt.

My fingers slipped away from the handle, and I turned away from the dome building, and trotted silently through the sand. I didn't pay much attention to where I was going, just letting my feet guide me through the crowded streets, lost in my thoughts.

I wanted — no, needed someone to talk to about this. I felt so unbearably empty. I needed someone to fill the missing puzzle piece. That's when I realized, aside from the four people I was trying to avoid, I had absolutely no friends. When did I become such a loner? I always looked back on my life as being surrounded by people. I was never without someone to talk to.

'But no one knew me like Sarafu did,' I mentally sighed.

'And she's got her own body now, so get over it!' I reprimanded myself.

'I'm trying, but it's hard to share a body with someone, border line souls, and then just go back to normal!'

'Maybe Moregayo could cure it. He seemed to have all the answers before.'

Well, I seemed to have a pretty good idea, so I figured I'd listen to myself, and go out into the desert, where I could be alone with my large summon. This would be the first time I ever summoned without aid. Doubts rose within me, but I shoved them back down to the bottom of my stomach, and carefully pricked my thumb with a kunai. Forming the hand seals slowly, as if I had done them a thousand times before, I put my hand to the ground, and mentally said, 'Summoning jutsu!'

I was engulfed in a large burst of san clouds, and I had to cover my face to prevent myself from inhaling the dust. Maybe doing this out in the desert wasn't such a good idea.

"Hey, Sarafu, what's up with the smokescreen, eh?" a deep, rumbling voice in front of my bellowed. An unfamiliar voice.

The sand settled and I gazed at the owner of the voice as he gazed at me. I was staring at a human-sized dragon, a couple of inches taller than me. His scales were as red as blood, and his eyes were a fierce yellow. He stood on his hind legs, like a kangaroo, and had a single horn protruding proudly from his stout muzzle. Two massive wings were folded around him, and he had two stubby arms in front of him, sporting charcoal claws. His brow furrowed into one of confusion.

"You're not Sarafu," his voice rattled my lungs.

"Uh…no-hack-…I'm…I'm Misa," I coughed, the breathing causing sand to get into my throat.

"Oh, yeah," he rubbed his chin in a very human-like manner. "The new girl. Well, what's amiss? It looks like we're the only ones here in this…desert. You know, I was always fond of deserts. So warm, and the sand is soft and easy on the eyes. It's such a simple environment."

"Umm…I was looking for Moregayo," I rubbed my eyes, sand in them.

"Oh," I could feel his mood drop like a ten ton weight. "Well, sorry to disappoint, but I'm only Konkichii."

"Konkichii?" The name rang a bell. "I think I've heard Sarafu talk about you before. This is weird…I should know you. I mean, I shared Sarafu's memories and all, and you seem familiar, but I just can't remember."

"That's because those are Sarafu's memories, not yours," Konkichii said indifferently. "Now that she's finally free, she took her memories with her. Of course you don't remember her memories. The only thing you'll retain is what happened to you two during the whole time you were connected."

I sat in the sand, tired of standing. I stared at the sand, not as a whole, but as each separate grain jumbled together. "So is it her lack of memories that is making me feel so…lonely?"

Konkichii's muscled relaxed, and he sat down next to me, his long, thick tail, swiping to the side. "It's only natural that you'd feel that way. After all, you touched souls. That is the ultimate form of bonding any being can undergo. Your soul instantly became attached to hers the minute they touched. Souls are just like that."

"But Moregayo said that our souls couldn't share a body, and that hers would devour mine."

"Bah!" A flicker of fire escaped the ruby dragon's nostrils when he snorted. "That Moregayo's all facts. He couldn't understand something as abstract as souls! Unlike that heartless bastard, I have feelings. I'm sensitive to my environment. I know how it feels to touch a soul. I did the exact same thing that you did. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't with a kindred spirit.

"You see, I was human once. Rather, I'm still human, just in this dragon's body. I was a ninja for the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha, way back in its early years. An Uchiha in fact. Yes…proud brother of Uchiha Madara. He was the leader of the Uchiha clan. A great man. I loved my brother. So much that I even gave him my eyes. Of course, my days were numbered afterwards. I summoned this very dragon, and begged it to save me. It suggested the idea of joining it inside its body. But…we were both very foolish.

"You see, unlike Sarafu and the Moon Dragon, we didn't take the proper procedures. You and Sarafu were both human, so it's alright. However, dragon spirits are very different from human souls. When my soul touched his, my soul devoured his. Before I knew it, I was in this body, and the dragon who selflessly sacrificed itself to help me no longer existed. I don't know how my soul won over the dragon's, but I'm sure the same was not likely to have happened to Sarafu if she had remained connected to the Moon Dragon for longer than she did. I'm sure her dying might actually have saved her, if that makes sense."

"But she won over the Moon Dragon's in the end," I said, a little proud. "Her will to live in this world was stronger."

"Maybe so," Konkichii mused. "Anywho, getting back to my point on mixing souls….Well, in your case, your souls mixed, and then were separated. I bet a bit of Sarafu is still inside you, and a bit of you is in Sarafu right now."

"What do you mean?" I felt hope rise in my throat.

"Well, like a bit of her personality. Like…well, say she was an impatient person, and you weren't, well, now you would be the impatient one and she is patient. I don't think it's anything too drastic. You probably won't even find what the change is. But more importantly, your soul is not whole even though a bit of Sarafu's is there as well. A bigger chunk of you is missing than Sarafu's bit can fill up. I figure, is that you were more attached to your bond than Sarafu was. Not that that means that she doesn't like you or anything, just that she was ready to get her body back. But this also probably means that Sarafu will show more of the side-effects than you do and…well…"

Konkichii looked away from me and muttered softly, but I could still hear in the quiet desert, "…she won't have the empty feeling that you do."

I frowned in spite of myself. Great, so I got the butt end of the deal.

I arrived early in the evening at the Kazekage's office. Temari and Kankurou were still lazing about in Gaara's office. That had a blush on their cheeks and a distant look in their eyes. They were stone drunk. "Hey, where's Sarafu and Gaara?" I asked them, taking care not to raise my voice to high.

"Zaes at hes howse. Ze left, beecawse deys party poopers!" Temari slurred.

"Haha! You said pooper!" Kankurou snorted like a pig, which caused Temari to laugh, which made Kankurou laugh even harder.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes, and left, heading towards were I knew Gaara's apartment was.

I wish they had had the decency to tell me what I was to find. I don't know why it never occurred to them.

I knocked softly on the door of apartment number 117. There's wasn't an answer, but I did hear some rustling and shuffling noises. I waited for a minute, expecting someone to open the door, but I got impatient (looks like that is still mine) and I opened the door on my own. The first thing I saw was a tangle of legs. Then a meshing of arms, and open mouths. Then scattered sheets and clothes. It wasn't until I heard the ecstatic moans that I realized what I was trespassing on.

As red as a beet, I slammed the door close in front of my face, and ran away. The embarrassment was so strong I couldn't help but cover my face as I ran home.

I had just caught Sarafu and Gaara doing the nasty!

* * *

Even though I was surrounded by noise in the clamor of the crowded bazaar, I could only hear my thoughts, as I turned an apple around to look at its glossy red surface. Most grown items such as fruits and vegetables were imported. Suna was a bartering town of awkwardly settled nomads. Farming never really was our forte.

My mother was glad to have me back home, and even gladder to find out that I was going to quit being a ninja. It was dangerous for the whole family, and I didn't want to visit anyone in the hospital ever again. Besides, without Sarafu, I was just a normal girl again.

Sarafu…

I haven't seen her since walking in on her and Gaara that one night. It's only been a couple of days since then, but it's felt like forever. As if all of it had just been a dream.

"Would you like to buy that, miss?" the voice of the old man running the stand broke my thoughts, and I realized how silly I must have looked staring so intently at an apple.

"Ah, yes, just give me a bag of them," I spat out quickly trying to regain my senses.

I grabbed the back and shoved it in the backpack I was carrying around. 'Man, this thing is heavy.' I lugged the giant pack onto my shoulders, bent with the weight, and wobbled my way down the road.

I nearly fell over when a couple of giddy school children knocked past me, running. "Hey, you lousy kids!" I shouted after them, but they were already storming down the road.

'School. I've missed a whole year. It's too late to join school now, so I'm just helping Mom around the house, while Bro and Sis go to school. It's boring, but I have a lot of free time now.'

Soon, the streets thinned as I walked closer to the residential section. I heard a strange clanging metal sound. A familiar sound that caused my heart to run with joy. I walked further on ahead, past a corner, and found the source of the noise. The Academy. Little children a few years younger than myself were lugging kunai and shuriken at a sand wall, but that wasn't what was making the thrilling noise. On the occasion, the projectile weapons would collide and make that thrilling sound. 'The sound of battle.'

I hadn't been in a life-threatening situation, let alone a battle, in a long time. 'The last time was when I escaped Tobi in the Rock Country, to be exact.' I had never felt so alive, than when I was on the verge of death. The adrenaline rush, the fear of death pushing me onward on a crazy rollercoaster ride. And the great feeling of pride and accomplishment when I beat all those things down. I'm sure it was this feeling that lead to the invention of the victory dance. There was just no way to contain yourself in such a feeling. It was as if your skin was the only thing holding you together.

But I had given up that life of excitement. The cost was too high, and I had no self-confidence in my abilities. I turned around, trying to through the longing to be one of those clumsy kids hurling sharp objects at walls (and when the teacher wasn't looking) at each other. However, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw familiar golden eyes peering curiously at me. "Misa?"

"Sarafu?" I gaped. I hadn't expected to run into her here. "And Gaara? Wha-What are you guys doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing!" Sarafu suddenly snapped. I had never seen her so angry. Well, of course, I had never seen her. "Where the hell have you been?! We've been looking for you, but every time we checked at your house, you weren't there! Why have you been avoiding us?"

"I haven't been avoiding you…" I lied, looking anywhere but at her truth-sucking eyes. "I've just been busy."

"Busy doing what? You haven't been on any missions!" Gaara grabbed Sarafu's hand in a means of comforting her, but it only seemed to excite her more. "Gaara and I haven't even gotten a peep from you since I got my body back."

"Well, the mission is done, so there's no need for me to lounge around you anymore," I snapped back, a potent anger rising in me.

"You have a job as a ninja, Misa! Once you finish one mission you do another."

"I'm not a ninja!" I shouted. I felt a lump rise in my throat. It felt as though the whole world shut up at that moment. I glanced over and saw that the children and the teachers at the academy were all staring at me, completely silent. "I never was, alright?" I said more quietly. "I was just a carrier for you."

"Like hell you were!" Sarafu didn't bother to lower her voice. "You did all of those things on your own! You're registered in the state building. I hate to break it to you, girl, but you're a shinobi, and you have a duty to your country to stop ignoring your Kazekage and do your damn job to protect this country! Do you think you get special treatment? That you get to slack off?!"

"THERE'S LIFE OUTSIDE OF BEING A NINJA, OK?!" I shouted with all the air in my lungs, tears streaming down my cheeks from the rage welling up in my heart. "_I _have a life outside of being a ninja! I was normal before I met you, and now you fucked up with my head and I'm going through some sort of mental trauma. I don't want anymore to do with being a ninja! And I don't want anymore to do with you!"

I hurled one of my apples at her, but it never connected with her face, because an arm of sand caught it. But I didn't care, I just wanted to channel some of this anger into something. I ran away, leaping up onto the roofs of the buildings, so I could get home faster. When I got home, I didn't bother to put up the groceries, and went up into my room and cried with shame and regret at all of the lies I had thrown into Sarafu's face.

* * *

Sarafu merely watched Misa through the sandy cloud, wanting to run after her and punch her in the face for being such a whiny brat, but she couldn't even lift a finger. Gaara brought the apple into one hand and Sarafu's shoulders into the other in a comforting embrace. After Sarafu (body and all) was returned to him, he made a vow to keep her with him, at all times. He was a quick learner. "Do you want a bite?" was his oh-so subtle way of trying to change the subject.

"It all makes sense now," Sarafu said to no one in particular, ignoring the apple Gaara was offering her. "I mean, when you think about it, all being a ninja has ever brought her is trouble and hurt. All I ever brought her was trouble and hurt. I'm to blame for messing with her peaceful life. Even if I can still feel the bond between us, she wants nothing to do with me anymore."

Gaara furrowed his non-existing eyebrows. He didn't like it when Sarafu gained an impassive face. She always showed such passionate emotion in everything she did. He was the stoic one.

Gaara had always been jealous of the bond Sarafu and Misa shared (although he'd never admit that to anyone). It took a lot of will power to make himself believe that he could not fill the void that Misa's soul had left in Sarafu's heart. Of course, he knew that there were other holes he could fill that Misa couldn't, and so he supposed, they were even. If he could, he wanted to make Misa leave get as far away from them as possible (not that he disliked the girl personally, but she was his rival in love, and thus, must be eliminated). However, if he did that Sarafu would only be as she is now. He wanted her to be passionate (even if she were crying), but this impassiveness was something he couldn't and wouldn't stand for. He would bring Misa back, whether she liked it or not.


	37. Chakra Depletion

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. I've been working on a surprise for you all! A oneshot! _le gasp!_ Who ever would've thought I could do something as short as that?! I decided I needed some completes, and this idea had been hanging in my head. I'm about halfway through, so look forward to it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters, but if I did they'd probably end up like this...

**Chakra Depletion**

I opened the door to see Temari and Kankurou looming over me. I made the motion to close the door, but Kankurou's foot blocked it, and forced it open.

"What do you two want?" I growled at them.

"We're forcing you to go to work," Temari stated smoothly as she grabbed my arm in a viselike grip, pulling me along.

"How many times do I have to tell you people?!" I shouted angrily. "I. DON'T. WORK! I'm a kid! A normal kid! Not a ninja!"

"No, you're not," Kankurou drawled lazily. He never was a morning person. "You're a freak like the rest of us: you're a ninja."

"Am not!"

"Look, Misa," Temari said as she pulled me around the corner down the street we were walking on. "Gaa-I mean, Kazekage's orders. You're a ninja whether you like it or not. And—" She pulled me around so that I faced her fierce stare "—and you're our friend, whether you like it or not. Now stop being a whiny bitch, and just come along."

I pouted, but didn't fight back anymore. It wasn't like I could fight the government. They dragged me into the Kazekage's office and threw me down into the hard chair. Sarafu was in there, a displeased look on her face, and Gaara stared at me from behind his desk, as impassive and cold as ever. I felt naked with the way he stare at me, and sunk in my chair, beet red.

"You know, disobeying your kage is considered an act of treason," Gaara spoke firmly. "And treason is punishable by death."

"Geez, what is with you people?" I sighed. "I quit, okay? Just leave me alone to my _quiet_ and _normal_ life!"

"You can't quit being a ninja unless you are injured to the point of uselessness, or death. It's a lifetime job."

"Well, I was useless to begin with, so I guess I'm good to go." I stood up., but Temari and Kankurou pushed me back down into the chair.

"Come on, Gaara," Sarafu said, frowning. "Forcing people to do stuff they dislike doesn't get anyone anywhere."

"Yes, but you don't dislike being a ninja, do you, Misa?" Gaara's sea foam eyes bore into mine, which left me feeling quite uncomfortable.

Everyone was looking at me now. What could I say that they wouldn't use against me? "Maybe."

"It's a great rush, isn't it?" Gaara continued without any emotion, but his words were smirking victoriously. "The adrenaline pumping through your veins. Not knowing whether you'll ever see daylight again. The joy of conquering an opponent. The pride in knowing that you just saved thousands of lives by ending one. These are the things a ninja lives for. That you live for. Tell me, truthfully, Misa. When ever you see children running, don't you just want to run past them, just to best them? And when your mother comes looking for you, don't you just want to hide stealthily in the shadows, just to see if she'll ever find you? And whenever you see an injured or bullied person, don't you just want to protect them?"

Was this guy a freaking psychic or something?

"Answer me, Misa."

"Maybe."

"Well, then, 'maybe' you'll be delighted to go on your next mission, but delighted or not, you're going anyway. Sarafu, why don't you brief your partner on this one."

"But you don't understand!" I tried desperately to stop this train from wrecking. "I'm completely useless! I'll only get us all killed!"

"You know, there is a way you can help us without being on the offensive," Sarafu said, squaring in on me, her hands on the arms of my chairs so that she trapped me. "You can help us! You can be a healer! Give us back the life we lose on the field!" Her eyes danced with hope, and searched mine for that same feeling.

"I'm not a doctor; I barely passed biology last year," I pleaded.

"We can teach you! There are plenty of medical ninja, here, in Suna! It's all about utilizing your chakra! Even I learned how to heal a simple cut or bruise! I'm sure that you'll catch on quick! I know you, Misa, you're a brilliant girl! I know you can do this. I know _you_."

And I knew Sarafu. And I knew that when she got this excited about something, she wouldn't let it go until she got her way. That's how she hooked Gaara.

"Alright," I sighed, and continued on before they could cheer, "BUT…on one condition: I won't go on this mission until I learn how to do _something_. I want to be able to help when I go."

"Yes!" Sarafu picked me up and twirled me in her arms. "Agreed! And I won't go until Misa goes!"

"You know we can't just put this off until later," Gaara sighed with annoyance. "Ugh…fine, whatever. I'll just send some Chuunin to do it or something. In the meanwhile, Sarafu, I want you to show Misa to Hiroto, our best healer. I want her to teach Misa."

"Yes, sir!" Sarafu mock-saluted Gaara, before shoving me out.

* * *

I hated my teacher with a fiery passion. For one, she was a cranky old lady who thought everyone should act the way she told them to, two: she not only made me train around the clock, but also decided to teach me some _etiquette _as well, three: she was extremely conservative, and I was very liberal, and four: her nose was flat and crooked like it had been broken many times, and I just couldn't seem to take my eyes off of it.

I was thinking of quitting when I had failed to save a flopping fish, gasping for air. It soon quieted and didn't flop around anymore.

"Put more effort into it!" Hiroto-sensei barked at me, smacking me against the back of the head. "You act like you don't want to save that fish's life!"

"I don't see what the point is, since he's not in the water, he'll just get back into this state," I muttered to myself, but Hiroto-sensei heard loud and clear.

She clouted me in the ear. "Don't you ever say anything of the sort!" I jumped when her voice held pure fury in it, and not her vexed, lecturing tone. "This is a life we're dealing with! This fish represents human life!" She walked over towards the fish and put her gnarled hands on its motionless side. The area where she touched glowed green for a moment before the fish began to wiggle around helplessly. "Medical Ninja have the power to save a ninja's life. You make one wrong move," she flicked her wrist slightly, and the soft green glow turned into a menacing red one; the fish stopped flopping as if it had been struck down, "and you could end a person's life. I won't let you even try to heal a scratch with that half-assed effort you're giving me. If you really want to become a medical ninja, you need to get serious!"

I stared at the lifeless fish.

"Tell me, Misa, what is your reason for becoming a medical ninja?"

"Actually, it wasn't really my idea," I said cautiously. "I was ordered to by the Kazekage."

"If you really didn't want to do this, you wouldn't be paying attention to everything I say," the old hag commented. "You really want to do this. I can tell you're trying, but you don't give it a 110 percent. Why is it you want to become a medical ninja?"

"Well…I want to be useful…" I said, noting the intricate scales of the fish. "I was abruptly dragged into this whole shinobi business, but I think…I might actually kind of like it. And I don't really have much of a life to go back to, and I've made friends in this world. I was only necessary as a container, but now that Sarafu has her own body…I'm afraid that they won't need me anymore, and I'll be left behind."

"Answer me honestly. If this fish had been Sarafu, lying on her deathbed, to what extent would you have gone to save her?"

I replied instantly and confidently. Finally, a question I knew the answer to. "I'd give her my soul if it was necessary."

"Good," Hiroto-sensei smiled. Actually _smiled._ "Now, just imagine every time you heal someone, that it is Sarafu. And I'll get the right amount of effort that I want out of you. Try again."

I looked at the fish reluctantly before I put both hands on its scaly side. I closed my eyes, and concentrated as I felt the chakra flow through my arms and into the fish. I continued going at it at a steady pace, imagining the little fish's gills breathing, and it flopping about in that hopeless way. 'Sorry, fish…you'll have to suffer a bit more…' I opened my eyes, and the fish was flopping about like a maniac. As cool as I tried to act, I couldn't help but smile broadly. I did it!

"Good, now let's try to fix the broken wing of one of our message carrier birds," Hiroto-sensei said with an exasperated sigh, and pulled me along to the aviary.

* * *

_One month later..._

"So, Misa, what have you learned so far?" Sarafu asked me over lunch at the Mikata, a sushi bar.

"Well, I can heal fractures and stop bleeding, as well as heal wounds about three inches deep, as long as they're not in any vital organs such as the heart or brain, or something like that," I said proudly as I plopped some tuna sashimi into my mouth. "Hiroto-sensei says that now that I've gotten serious about it, I'm progressing steadily." I left out the part about how I was still the slowest one of her students.

"Great, so you're ready to go on our next mission, then?"

"What?" I looked at her dumbly. "Already?"

"You seem to have 'learned how to do _something,_'" she quoted me with a devious smirk.

I pouted, my lower lip protruding, but I didn't deny anything. "Fine, I guess I can go on one, but it has to be a low-ranked mission."

"Heheh," Sarafu avoided my gaze nervously. "Sorry, but I already picked out our mission and it's a B-rank."

"What?!" I said a little too loudly and then lowered my voice. "I was thinking more along the lines of a D-rank mission."

"Oh, come on, you pansy," Sarafu teased, her tongue sticking out. "It's not like you're a genin or anything."

"That's because I haven't gone through the Academy yet," I pointed out.

"Well, you're in your own class, so you don't need some silly title, or anything!" Sarafu reasoned. "Besides, I was the Sorakage in my previous village before all of this! You have nothing to fear."

I rolled my eyes. "So, what type of mission is this?"

"It's just a simple recon mission. We got to go to Kyuushu city, here in the Wind Country, and just spy on this one group we believe is smuggling weapons to the enemy. After a couple of days, we come back and report what we've got. It's harmless."

"And why do I have the feeling that you're disappointed about that?" I cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.

"No, this is a nice easy mission to start you out on," Sarafu smiled unconvincingly. "But don't worry. Our next mission will probably be to take this organization down."

And so we left the next morning. It was only a half a day's walk to Kyuushu. The desert did not disappear, but it was more tightly packed than the desert in Suna. The organization we were supposed to check out was the shady band of exotic goods dealers. We found their hideout in a large hole in the sandy rock about twenty meters deep and 20 kilometers wide, full of warehouses. Small tunnels in the sides of the walls of the hole worked as passageways for trucks, carrying who knows what. In the desert, there wasn't much to hide behind, so we dug into the sand, placing an insulating blanket over ourselves, and watched through a pair of binoculars that Sarafu lent us.

We lay low for hours, and the smothering heat of the sand all around us made us sweat. Occaisionally, we saw a covered truck roll in through the tunnels, and a few men in dark grey uniforms would unload them into the warehouses, and then load the trucks with large wooden crates. Highly suspicious, but…

"We can't see anything from here," I whispered to Sarafu next to me. "From what I can tell, this just looks like a stopping point."

"Trucks come in, drop some stuff off, then leave with other stuff," Sarafu whispered back to me. "There's a definite exchange going on, but we can't leave without having substantial evidence."

"We need to see what's inside those boxes."

"Yes, we'll wait until nightfall, and then come back here and see what we can find. But for now, let's retreat back to the town and grab something to eat. I'm afraid my growling stomach might warn them."

I chuckled and nodded in agreement. I was starving as well.

We returned that night as planned. We tied the blankets around us this time, so we could keep the heat in. The desert grew fairly cold during the night. We crawled up to the ledge of the giant hole, and looked down in the deep darkness. I could make out warehouses in the shadows, but everything else to me was unseen.

"I see about ten guards," Sarafu whispered to me, her golden eyes flicking around. "Five to each warehouse. Though, there might be more inside."

I opened my mouth to say something, but she answered my question before I could even speak it. "I took in the Moon Dragon's body as well, remember? Dragons have very keen eyesight."

The light blue-haired wonder began to dig in her pack, and pulled out a long coil of rope, with a grappling hook attached to the end. She set it down, and then made a few hand seals. In the dark, I couldn't really see them, but I noticed the horse symbol when she was done, and she blew onto the sand at the ledge. I felt the temperature drop, and noticed that the sand she blew on froze solid. She then shoved the grappling hook into the frozen sand, and wiggled it a bit to make sure it was secure.

"Just as a precaution," Sarafu answered my unvoiced question again. "The sand here is tightly packed, but it can still give way if a heavy enough weight is on it." She tossed the rope down, and pulled on it once again to see if the hook budged any. It didn't. "I'll go down first. When you see the rope wave around to the side, you can come down next. Be sure to go down slowly."

I nodded.

"Alright then," Sarafu put her legs over the edge, facing me, and holding onto the side with her arms. Then she grabbed the rope, and walked down the ledge, slowly. Five minutes later, I saw the rope wave around.

After I had reached the bottom, we stuck to the walls, jogging silently towards the nearest warehouse. The sand muffled the sound of our feet, so that I could only hear the faint whisper of fabric. The first warehouse, upon closer look, had a giant red "A" painted on the side of it, and two guards facing us. They stood around lazily, looking around without really seeing anything. They had flashlights that they pointed around at things. One of them whirled it around in circles. Well, looks like we won't have to worry about them.

Of course, the door was guarded. Sarafu put her lips to her mouth (like she needed to tell me) and motioned for me to follow her. We got closer, but still far enough away. She knelt down, and I knelt down beside her. I could make out some more hand seals, and it looked like she was muttering something. I looked up and noticed two little glowing orbs, floating about in the distance by between Warehouse A and Warehouse B. The guards noticed too, and followed, as if in a haze.

"It's only an illusion," Sarafu said as she righted herself and trotted towards the now, unguarded door. "But it'll distract them for a while. We better make this quick, before they come back."

There was a large door, used for transporting cargo to truck and vise versa, and a smaller door next to it, which we went through. We walked inside, and luckily it was empty. The warehouse was full of unorganized stacks of crates and boxes.

"You take to the left, and I'll take to the right, and remember to be quiet," Sarafu ordered me quietly, before trotting lightly over to some boxes.

I walked over towards a small stack of crates, and opened one, prying it open with my kunai. At first, I found a bunch of paper scraps, but once I dug around a little, I found a large pile of kunai. Heart thumping in my head, I turned to the box next to it and pried it open. Shuriken. Delighted, I whipped out the camera Gaara had given me specifically for this mission, and snapped a picture of the weapons.

"Turn off the flash, you idiot!" I heard Sarafu's raspy whisper from behind.

"It's not like anyone's looking in through the windows," I whispered back. There weren't any windows.

Sarafu jogged over to me. "I found small bombs and exploding tags in those boxes over there. What about you?"

"I found shuriken and kunai."

"Looks like we found our evidence."

"This is going surprisingly fast. I didn't suspect we would only need one night."

"Me neither. I figured it would be more heavily guarded." Sarafu suddenly went rigged. "There coming back. My illusion ended. We need to leave, now."

Sarafu pulled me by the wrist, but then stopped when the door opened and light flooded in.

"Who's in there?" A deep male voice called out to us. The two guards that had run after the illusion had come back.

"Damn," Sarafu cursed, before she put her fingers to her lips, and blew hard. Mist, filtered ahead of her into a steamy fog. The guards made startled noises. Sarafu latched onto my wrist again, and pulled me along through the door. By that time, the guards were already following us, and shouted, "INTRUDER!"

As we ran towards the walls, I looked over my shoulder and saw that four more men had joined their ranks. I took out some shuriken and hurled it at them. I missed my initial target, but ended up hitting the guy behind them. He fell to the ground, crying out.

When I noticed we were running at the wall with full speed, I opened my mouth, but again, Sarafu answered before I could speak. "Screw the rope! We're gonna wall-climb. Concentrate the chakra to your feet."

I had about seven seconds to learn the wall-climbing jutsu, and I didn't do so well at first. Sarafu kept moving steadily, pulling me along with her. I had finally gotten the knack of it when we reached the ledge, and ran off into the desert. We got about five steps out, before Sarafu fell to her knees and collapsed.

"Wha! Sarafu!" I cried out, startled. I looked around for an arrow wound, but found none. Well, she hadn't been hit. I heard cries from down below. The guards would be here any second.

"I have no choice!" I cried frantically, and nervously made the hand symbols. "Summoning jutsu!"

With a whirl of sand, a giant golden dragon I recognized as Moregayo appeared before me. He took one look at me, then at Sarafu and said, "Get on."

Since that was my plan in the first place, I heaved Sarafu onto Moregayo's back (in a very uncomfortable position) and then hopped on myself. Moregayo launched into the air like a speeding rocket, and I nearly fell off. I'm pretty sure I did the same thing the first time.

'This is no time to reminisce, Misa!' I yelled at myself.

I leant over Sarafu, who lay on her back on my lap, and checked for any signs of injury. Finding none, I figured that whatever her ailment was, I could just attempt to heal her. I put my hands on her stomach, since it was closest to me, and watched as it began to glow green. I poured as much chakra into her as I could while still retaining my consciousness. When I felt like I had just ran a marathon, I stopped. She was still breathing, but still out cold.

"I will assume you want me to take you two back to Suna?" Moregayo said over the sound of the wind whistling past us.

"Yes, please."

* * *

I landed in Suna just as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. Moregayo dropped us off right by the gates, since that was the only ground area large enough to fit him, and I ran up to the city gates, carrying Sarafu on my back, still unconscious. The guard recognized me and Sarafu, and thankfully rushed us to the hospital meant specifically for ninjas.

Sarafu was rushed off to some room, and I was shooed away into the waiting lounge. About a half an hour later, Gaara arrived with the jounin I had sent to tell him the message. He was in his night clothes and bare feet. He probably ran here straight out of bed. I told him what happened immediately, but he put up his hand to silence me. "What's her condition?"

"I don't know," I said. The lounge was quiet, and bright, despite the darkness outside. I checked the clock: it was around four or so in the morning. "They just shoved me in here, and haven't told me anything since."

"Aa." He stood, arms crossed across his chest, and face completely stoic. Even with his hair messy and only in pajama pants, he still looked regal and composed.

It only took about five minutes before a nurse and doctor came to see us.

"It's alright," he smiled at us when he saw our stressed looks. "Sarafu's fine. She merely fainted from chakra depletion."

"Chakra depletion?!" I shouted a little too loudly, and it echoed in the empty hospital hallways. "Even I know that only two minor justsus such as wall-climbing and a fog are not that chakra consuming. Is she just not used to having her own body, or—?"

"It's not that," the doctor waved the idea away. "Umm…Lord Kazekage….Sarafu is pregnant."

My jaw dropped to the floor. I gaped at Gaara, but he remained unchanged. I was beginning to wonder if he had even heard, when the doctor continued on with his explanation.

"Creating a new life inside your body takes up quite a lot of chakra," the doctor watched Gaara carefully. "So Sarafu was already drained when she went on this mission, but I don't think she knew that. It only took these two simple jutsus to rid her of her remaining strength. The baby will constantly suck chakra out of Sarafu, especially in these first few months. If it hadn't been for Misa quickly transferring her chakra into the girl, she and her infant would have died."

I stood up a bit taller. Well, what do you know.

"But if it were any other situation, she could have killed her," I heard the familiar voice of Hiroto-sensei. The old lady walked in from behind the doctor. She smacked me across the head. "You know better than to just blindly pour your chakra into someone like that! If you aren't concentrating your chakra at the ailment, it could mess with the body's other organs and functions! If you hadn't have been aiming for her stomach, she really would have died! Jeez, looks like I'll need to teach you how to search for inner ailments of the body next, before you kill someone trying to heal them."

"Do you know what gender the baby is?" Gaara's voice interrupted my scolding.

"This early in the process, we can't tell," the doctor answered. "The baby is too underdeveloped to determine. In a few more month's time, when it has begun to take on a more discernable shape, we can tell you."

"Can we see her?"

"Certainly, but she's still sleeping, so try not to wake her," the doctor smiled kindly at us before showing us to her room.

The hospital had baby blue walls (coincidence?) with a midnight blue strip running along the middle. There was only one bed in the small room, and trays with unused instruments lying around it. Sarafu's platinum sky blue hair went well with the room, sprawled out around her. Her hair was so long that it poured over the edge of the bed like a foamy waterfall. Her golden eyes were covered by her lids, which made her look even more at peace. (Her eyes always reminded me of her father, and so I always saw a bit of conflict in those shining eyes.)

"When he said pregnant, did he mean like…I'm _pregnant?"_ Sarafu's eyes fluttered open and her brows furrowed together.

"Sorry," Gaara brushed aside her bangs lovingly. "That's my fault."

"It's not like it's a bad thing," Sarafu smiled up at him. "I mean, I'm going to be a little worried when I'm on the field, you know, carrying another life inside me, but I think —"

"You're not going out on the field, Sarafu," Gaara said firmly, but his hand caressing her cheek was still soft. "Having a child is too stressful on your body, as we've just now seen. You'll be staying home until he is born."

"What?!" Sarafu exclaimed. "I'm a ninja! What am I supposed to do just lying around the house?"

"Taking care of yourself and our child," Gaara said, and then stopped when he heard a stifled laughter behind him. They both looked at me curiously.

"Sorry, it's just that you two act just like a married couple," I explained. "It was kind of funny. Anyway, Gaara, Sarafu is a workaholic, so she needs to e doing something to occupy herself without actually having to use chakra."

Gaara nodded. "Then she can file paperwork, or something. Let her do whatever she wants, but I want you with her at all times."

"Hey, you don't need to drag Misa into this!" Sarafu protested.

"No, no, it's alright, Sarafu," I waved her protests away. "I was planning on taking care of you in the first place. We'll consider it as part of my training as a medical ninja! And when the baby's born, I can be the nanny, during your missions! I'll be like the fairy godmother or something!" I smiled broadly, off in another universe.

Sarafu and Gaara exchanged looks before they both shrugged. "Sure," Sarafu said. "That's fine, but you don't need to compromise your job for me. I can handle myself."

"Not if this is her job," Gaara jutted in. "Misa, this will be your next mission: Protect and care for Sarafu and my child until he is born."

"Yes, sir!"

"You keep saying 'he', Gaara," Sarafu pouted. "What makes you so sure it's a guy?"

"I know my own sperm."

"That makes know sense! You can never know if its' gender until way later in the pregnancy!"

It was at this point I decided to leave. I wasn't included in this part of the conversation, so I thought it would be best to tell my mom we would be having one and a half new visitors.


	38. The Wedding

**A/N:** MAn, it seems like FOOOREEEEVEEER since I've updated a story. I've just been so sidetracked and brain dead this summer, that I haven't gotten anything done. Not to mention that my summer homework remains untouched. ; Of course, reviews always help to motivate me! wink wink I live off of those things.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.

**The Wedding**

"Hey, Misa, the rehearsal is at 3 on Tuesday at the Center Oasis, alright?" Sarafu said as she ran by me to the shower, a towel folded across her arm.

"Rehearsal for what?" I asked, confused.

"For my wedding, of course," Sarafu said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're the Maid of Honor, so it's only natural that you arrive at the rehearsal."

"Wait! What wedding?"

"For Gaara's and my wedding, silly," she snorted and continued into the bathroom and set her things out. "He got me pregnant, so it's only natural he'd have to marry. Besides, we are in love!" She folded her hands across her heart and sighed dreamily, but then snapped back to reality. "We were going to get married sooner or later, it just happens to be sooner rather than later."

"Well, at least he's taking responsibility," I sighed knowing how much work a wedding was, especially one for a kage. "Only you would manage to cook up trouble the _day_ you get back."

Sarafu smiled slyly at me before shooing me out of my bathroom so she could bathe.

* * *

The wedding was beautiful, and to my deep chagrin, crowded. I may not be the center of everyone's attention, but I sure was a part of this shindig, and I didn't do well with crowds. I awkwardly walked arm-in-arm with Kankurou, Gaara's Best Man, to the altar and stood nervously on the wooden stage that was built for this specific purpose above the waters of the oasis that lay in the center of Suna. I glanced at Gaara who stood regally in his snazzy tuxedo, looking aristocratic and handsome, he didn't show any sign of emotion, but there did seem to be something tugging at the corner of his lips, which he fought bravely against. I could only imagine he was fighting the urge to cry out triumphantly. I tried my best and went back to fiddling with my sky blue dress and not making eye contact with anyone.

I decided to scan the front few seats of the crowd that were reserved for family and friends while the ceremony continued. There were two whole rows of friends from Konoha, but since they were friends with both the bride and groom, the boys sat on Gaara's side, and the girl's sat on Sarafu's side,with the exception of Ryu, from New Sora, who sat on her side. I saw Naruto, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Rock Lee, who was beaming brighter than anyone, Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, who seemed to be in another galaxy, and even Iruka-sensei. On Sarafu's side was Hinata, blushing dreamily, Ino, Sakura, TenTen, and Tsunade and Shizune, which made me wonder who was running Konoha at this moment.

Then I heard that familiar chime, which sounded so much more final in person than in the movies. I followed everyone's gaze to look to the back, where the tent was set up. I pale hand pulled back the white curtain and Sarafu, arms hooked with Mr. Kyo, her old sensei, emerged wearing the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was strapless, but two satin ribbon hung loosely around her forearm, attached to the bodice with a flower shaped diamond on each side. A diamond tiara lay atop her tied back platinum blue hair, with the veil hanging over her. Her dress was as pure white as snow and looked smooth and soft to the touch. The skirt was littered with little white flowers with small diamonds in the center, and loose hanging ribbons connected them. I surprisingly enough I found none other than our favorite ruby dragon, Konkichii, holding her trail at the end, so that it didn't get dirtied on the sand. If I hadn't shared my body with Sarafu over the past year or so, I probably would have made similar shocked expressions as most of the audience did.

When she finally reached the altar, Mr. Kyo released her and went to the groom's side, smiling proudly. He had designed the dress. It didn't take long before he took a dainty handkerchief out of his pocket and began to dab his at his eyes.

I watched Gaara's expression as he took Sarafu's hands and gazed into her golden eyes. His expression didn't change much, but this was Gaara we were talking about.

'He better feel like the luckiest damn man in the world, cause I'm sure any guy here would be willingly to switch places after seeing Sarafu in that dress,' I thought, finding myself smiling proudly, too. I didn't listen to the words that came out of the priest's mouth, only watched happily as my two best friends married each other. Would I feel like the third wheel from now on? I already did, but seeing Sarafu beaming so brightly, I couldn't help but grin foolishly too.

Finally, the moment everyone, especially Gaara, had been waiting for. "You may now kiss the bride." Gaara cupped Sarafu's face in his wide hands and pulled her face haphazardly towards his and kissed her long and deep. She looked at him in surprise for a second, but then her eyelids fluttered closed, and she put her hands in Gaara's messy red hair.

The crowd cheered and whooted. I would have gladly joined, except I saw a familiar spiky black head in the back leaving. Not bothering to excuse myself, I fished my way through the crowd, and slipped out through the tent. I came out just in time to see the figure round the corner, so I followed it, running as fast I could in the layered dress.

"TOBI!" I shouted after him.

He turned around and smiled at me, unmasked. "Ah! Hello, Miss Misa."

"What are you…doing here?" I said between breaths, trying to steady my heartbeat, but failing.

"I came to see the wedding," Tobi smiled innocently at me. "It's a shame Hinako isn't alive anymore. She would've wanted to see this. I must say, you look absolutely stunning in that dress, and that," he held up a finger, "is not a lie."

"I'll be the judge of that," I humphed, but blushed still. "But seriously, why are you here?"

"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to see you?"

"No." Well, I don't think it's the whole truth.

"Well, it's the truth. I came here to update you on things," he smiled kindly, "and refresh my image of you in my mind. You look even more beautiful each time I see you."

"Cut the flattery, Tobi, and cut to the chase."

"Well, Sasuke killed Itachi, and Hinako, wanting revenge, attacked Sasuke but was killed by him also. However, I told Sasuke the truth about me and the Uchiha's past, and now he's hell bent on —"

"Woah! Pause! Rewind! You tell _Sasuke_ the truth, and not me?!"

"I'm telling you the truth now. If you'll notice, I haven't lied the whole time we've talked today. And that's the truth."

"So what is the truth about your and the Uchiha's past?"

"I'm actually Uchiha Madara, the leader of the Uchiha clan. I hated and fought against the first Hokage, but my people wanted a treaty, so I had no choice but to join Konoha, however rumors of an uprising were spreading lately, and so Itachi was ordered to murder his entire clan. He was a double agent, you know. He only wanted peace. So he let Sasuke kill him, so that Sasuke would gain the ultimate eye, and now I'm using him to get my revenge on Konoha and destroy it once and for all."

I just stared at him. "Either you're a great story-teller, or you've been lying to me _again_."

"I did lie about my name being Tobi, but I'm not lying about this story. Sasuke now has the full cooperation of Akatsuki. This fray with Konoha will be the last. We plan on ending it once and for all."

"And why would you tell me this?"

"So that you might come and I can snatch you away with me for good."

"Why don't you just kidnap me now?"

"Misa, love, I'm in the middle of a city at the kage's wedding. They'll notice you're gone soon, and then they'll send the whole militia after me. I'd rather wait until I can steal you during the confusion, so everyone might think you're dead, and they won't come searching for you. It'll be much easier on my part."

I stared unbelievingly at him, but he only smiled with those puppy eyes at me. His being truthful made me think this whole thing was a lie.

"Oh, I also bumped into a past acquaintance of yours, Sai…"

I froze. That was the name of the devil. "What happened?"

"I found out what he did to you, so I killed him." Tobi — no, Madara's smirk was positively evil at that moment that it made me shiver, even in the hot sun.

The three people who had hurt Sarafu the most, her dad, Hinako, and now Sai, were all dead. She is married to Gaara, and will soon have a baby. Her life was perfect. I was happy for her, I really was. But…something just felt weird. Something wasn't right. Where was my place in her happy life?

Madara watched me with a blank face. Finally he spoke in a completely serious tone. "I plan to take over this world, Miss Misa, and I would be the happiest man in the world, if you would join me in my quest. A peaceful town doesn't suit you. You look your prettiest when conquering a foe."

"Wha-?" But suddenly my vision blurred, and when I blinked, Madara was gone, as if he had only been a mirage.

* * *

Those words plagued me for the next few months. The more I thought about them, the more I began to agree. All my life, I had only ever known Suna, and not even all of that. But thanks to Sarafu, I expanded outside my country, and came to know places like the Grass Village, Konoha, and Iwa. They filled up a hunger I never knew I had, and now that I had tapped into that desire, I was starving for more. And TV was only a crumb compared to what I craved.

There was one sentence that disturbed me the most: "You look your prettiest when conquering a foe." The first foe I had ever conquered was somewhere in the Rock country, when I was running bewildered through a fray of ninja. When I had cut down the enemy, I felt…uplifted? No, more like superior, and it was a grandiose feeling. I was terrified, but strangely exhilarated, and that was what scared me the most.

'I'm turning into some kind of bloodthirsty fighting machine!' I trembled, staring at the boiling pasta I was cooking for dinner that night, not really noticing when the froth started to bubble over the edge of the pot. 'This is what I hate about being a ninja. It turns people into weapons.'

_Don't try to fight it._

I jumped, and flipped around, gaping at a wide-eyed Sarafu, her head cocked to the side curiously, and her belly protruding a bit. "What? Did I scare you or something?"

"What did you say?" I stared at her in shock.

"Huh? 'Did I scare you or something'?"

"No, before that."

"I didn't say anything, I was in the living room."

"So, that wasn't you who…"

'Great, now I'm hearing voices. Way to turn into a freak, Misa.' I turned back to my overcooked pasta with a disappointed sigh. For a second there, I thought Sarafu was still connected to me, but that was impossible.

"The sauce is bubbling," Sarafu's voice cut into my thoughts.

The red goo was indeed boiling, and little red splatters surrounded the burner. Letting out a stream of curses, I turned off the stovetop, and set about trying to salvage the burnt dinner.

"I'm sorry," I apologized over delivery pizza. "Gaara wants you to eat lean, home cooked meals. Greasy pizza probably isn't good for a pregnant woman."

"Oh, nonsense," Sarafu waved my apologies away. "The baby needs some man food. And besides," she looked at me seriously, setting her half-eaten slice of pepperoni and olive pizza down, "you've looked kind of out of it lately. What's been on your mind?"

"Oh, just thinking about my place in the universe, the greater good, how to cure cancer, world hunger, you know, the usual."

Sarafu chuckled a bit, but then frowned. "No, seriously, what's been bugging you?"

"Just…I've been a little…well…bored without doing any missions lately, ya know? I know I said I didn't want to be a ninja before, but…sometimes I just wish something bad would happen just so I can spring into action. It's a horrible thing to say, but—"

Sarafu held up her hand, a relieved grin on her face. "I know exactly how you feel. I have those exact same thoughts, sometimes, and I hate that I had to drag you down with me, but, hey, this way you're upping your medical nin experience by taking care of a pregnant, ol' lady."

"You're not old, Sarafu."

"I'm older than you."

"Only by a year."

"That's a whole year's worth of seniority."

"But you don't get a senior citizen's discount."

"Yeah, this country's welfare system sucks."

We just stared at each other, before we broke out into huge, goofy grins and laughed.

It was these moments that made me thank Fate for pairing me up with Sarafu. The odd girl always had a way of making me forget my troubles and relax. Suddenly, all my dark meditating before just seemed silly.

But just as soon as Fate put us together, it tore us apart.


	39. Into Battle

**A/N: **OH MY GOD! It is finally done! I'm sorry for the uneccesarily long hiatus. I've just been struggling with how to end the series. Well, enjoy!

**Into Battle**

"Hey, Sarafu, I think Akatsuki is going to attack Konoha."

Golden eyes looked at me indifferently, not the slightest hint of surprise in her eyes. "I'd be surprised if they didn't. Konoha is their biggest enemy, after all."

I sat down on the leather couch next to her. Sarafu was reclining lazily in the chair, but not so much that the weight of her round stomach was on her. She was about 7 months in now, and her stomach was just beginning to hang over her belt. She had one of my old "required reading" books from school in her fingers.

"No, I mean they're going to attack soon," I sighed. "like…within this month, or so."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it's just that…it's just speculation, you see…I just think that if I were them…now would be the time. What's the point in waiting any longer?"

Sarafu pondered this for a moment, her eyes distant and her finger curled around her chin. "We should probably tell Gaara about this, then. I'm sure even speculation on our part will help, not to mention he hasn't been to visit me in a while. I'm his freaking wife, for heaven's sake!"

And so that's how we came to be in the bustling, trafficked office of the Kazekage. The place was in a flurry, people running everywhere, papers practically filing themselves, arguments, not to mention a very stressed looking Gaara.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you two, but what do you want?" Gaara grumbled, rubbing his temples. "We're kind of busy, if you couldn't tell."

"What's going on? I've never seen the place so alive like this before," I watched a lady trip over her robes and scatter the stack of papers she was carrying everywhere.

"The eight-tailed Jinchuuriki was found dead yesterday."

"What?!" Both Sarafu and I gasped in unison. "The eight-tailed?! With the Dragon of the Moon gone, that means…" I gaped wide-eyed at Sarafu.

"…Naruto is the last Jinchuuriki," Sarafu finished for me, her eyes just as wide as mine. "Misa, I think your speculation is right." She turned back towards her husband. "Gaara, Akatsuki is going to attack Konoha."

"Yes, we figured as much," Gaara sighed heavily. "Which is why we're in such a flurry right now, trying to figure out a defensive for Konoha. We have no idea where to keep Naruto safe, but it seems that problem has already been solved for us."

"What?"

"Naruto was taken to some secret sage mountain of frog summons to learn sage techniques, the ultimate ninja skills. As far as we know, only those with a pact with the frog summons can get there. So, for now, it seems Naruto is safe, but Konoha…"

"Yes, the sage techniques, I know those," Sarafu said seriously, and both the Kazekage and I gaped at her. "The dragon summons' sage "mountain", if you will, is in the ethereal plane of space, on the moon, since it is the force which drives nature and the dragons are the guardians and guides of nature. Of course the only way to get there —"

"— is to die," I finished for Sarafu, not even realizing I did.

Sarafu nodded her head. "Even if you did manage to get to the moon, though I don't see how that's even possible, there's no air, up there, you wouldn't find anything. The dragon world is in the ethereal plane, and only the souls of the dead and dragons can reach there, except for Konkichii, for some strange reason. He's never been…"

I swallowed a lump in my throat. I think I knew the reason as to that. Konkichii, after all, had a human soul, and he was still alive. He'd have to die, just like everyone else. "So what can we do about this?"

Gaara's eyes snapped fiercely at me. "You can protect Sarafu safely here."

"WHAT?!" Both Sarafu and I shouted.

"You can't keep me cooped up in the house all my life! I need to get out and exercise!" Sarafu shouted.

"I'm bored! I want to help Konoha! I have some friends there too, you know! I want to protect them."

Gaara blinked. "Might I remind you, Misa, that protecting Sarafu and my child is your _mission_ right now. And Sarafu, if I let you go barging in to Konoha you'll only get yourself and the baby killed. You are weak right now. There's no way you can even stand up to low-level chuunin, let alone Akatsuki. I will not endanger you so foolishly."

Sarafu hung her head in shame, pouting. "I know…" she mumbled.

"It's alright. We'll do everything we can to protect Konoha. As soon as the baby is born you can go on as many missions as you want."

Sarafu looked doubtfully at her husband, but then smiled. "You win. I'll be a good wife and stay home. Just…don't forget to drop by sometimes…you know."

Gaara's stoic face broke into a warm grin. He had been watching her with his third eye technique during breaks, he had forgotten that she didn't see him. "Of course."

So thus we were kicked out of the Kazekage building, bored and restless. "Hey, let's say we go get a drink."

"Sarafu, even though you're married, you're still underage. Plus, I'm pretty sure that's not good for the baby."

She shoved me playfully. "Not an alcoholic one, silly. I'm thirsty. Just a normal beverage. We could grab something to eat too."

"Alright."

We found a nice little restaurant called the Oasis (very original here in Suna) with fruity drinks and delicious fried goods. It was a family owned restaurant and had a decent amount of customers.

"So, tell me, Misa," Sarafu said over her strawberry banana smoothie, "what's the real reason you want to go to Konoha?"

"What do you mean?" I blinked. "I seriously want to protect my friends."

"Yes, but you're not exactly one to jump head on into battle, jutsus blazing. I know you, Misa, now tell me what's really tugging you there."

I sighed. I just can't get anything past Sarafu. "It's Tobi, well, actually, he's Madara now."

Sarafu looked totally blank.

"You see, at your wedding, I happened to bump into Tobi there."

"What!" Sarafu shouted, but then calmed herself when the other diners glared at her. "Why haven't you ever told me this before?"

"Well, it's not exactly a great starter for light conversation. And I was afraid of how you guys would react."

"Well, now you know. Tell me everything."

"He said that he had come there to…see me," I blushed, despite myself. "He said he wasn't going to lie to me anymore, so he basically told me every secret, I think, that he has been hiding. So, um, apparently Sasuke killed Itachi…and Hinako…"

Sarafu must have been taking lessons from Gaara, her face was so devoid of emotion.

"If it's any consolation, she died before your wedding, so that's why she didn't go, if she even knew about it."

"Oh." That was all she said, leaving a very awkward silence between us.

I just had to break it. "Yeah, so, then he told me that he had revealed to Sasuke his _truly _true identity — I hope this is for real this time — that he was the leader of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Madara, but I don't see how he could have lived this long. He better not be lying to me _again._ Apparently, Itachi had been a double agent for Konoha's ANBU and that he had been ordered to kill his entire clan, but had let Sasuke kill him so that he could get the ultimate eye. Now, To — Madara is using Sasuke to get his revenge on Konoha, and Akatsuki and Sasuke are now working together to destroy Konoha."

"And so you're going there to see Madara," Sarafu concluded, a little more emotion showing in her eyes, she sipped her smoothie.

"N-No! Of course not!"

"You idiot. You're in love with him."

My cheeks burnt hotly. "I am not! How could I love that lying, two, no three-faced, backstabbing —"

"I _know _you, Misa. I had some suspicions before, and now I'm absolutely sure. The only reason anyone would believe what this man is saying even after he's lied to them _so_ many times would be that they _want_ them to tell the truth. They love them."

"But…" There's just no way. I had only ever loved him when I had lost my memories, and even then, the bastard betrayed me. I don't love him…I just don't. How could anyone love that man?

"Well, since you're going to go off to elope with your crush anyway, we might as well train you, so that you don't get killed before he can protect you." Sarafu finished the last of her drink and got up to return the dishes.

"Wha —?" I followed suit, blushing brightly. "I thought we said we weren't going to go! We, you especially, can't go there!"

Sarafu turned and smiled at me. "There's no way I'm going to miss the final battle. Besides, this will be your chance to run off with your little boy toy."

"He's not my boy toy, and whoever said I was going to run away with him?" I ground my teeth. Her complete acceptance of all of this was so annoying.

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it at least once," Sarafu snorted with a haughty smirk that was getting on my nerves. "This may be the only chance for you to be with him. He is a wanted criminal, you know."

"Then why are you so happy to send me off to him?" I asked suspiciously.

A nostalgic smile spread across Sarafu's face that wiped away all of the tension in my heart. "I don't want you to miss out on love. Misa, you've done everything for Gaara and I without a thought for yourself. I want you to live your own life now."

"Even if it means I can never see you again?" I asked in all seriousness.

"I'll miss you terribly, but if it brings you happiness, I don't mind."

Those were the last words we spoke on that topic.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Sarafu instructed me in my training and I grew considerably. Sarafu even said that I was on par with her before she died, a considerable feat.

"You really have an affinity for chakra control," she complimented me after I had managed to block a hundred kunai in a row, with only my chakra while running along the side of my house on the wall. I leapt off, only a little bit of a sweat breaking off my forehead. A stupid grin spread across my face. "You'll be able to survive a battle field in between Akatsuki and the world."

I hoped so. I was going to have to protect both myself and a pregnant woman. "I can't believe I'm actually going along with your crazy plan," I muttered under my breath.

"We'll be fine as long as we lay low," she assured me, hands on her wide hips. "I'm positive no one will mess with someone as weak as us. They probably won't even be able to read our chakra signatures!"

"That's not exactly reassuring, Sarafu," I told her, frowning. Somehow, I had a really bad feeling about this.

She only laughed, but stopped when she looked up to the sky, frowning. I looked up too, wondering what she was looking at, and noticed a small sandy cloud, making its way towards us.

"Gaara!"

The Kazekage stepped off from his sand cloud and headed straight for his wife. Without a word, he pulled her face up to his and kissed her senseless. I blushed fiercely, wondering if he even noticed that I was standing right here.

Finally, they pulled apart to catch their breath. "I missed you too," Sarafu muttered hazily under her breath, clearly blown away by the mini make out session.

"I'm going to Konoha," he told her straight and simple, his face looked uncaring, but I knew better now.

"So it's already time," Sarafu's golden orbs looked down at the ground.

Gaara lifted her chin and kissed her once more, this one was much less hasty. "I will return, I promise you."

"I know that," she said, but I just knew what she was thinking right now: _But I might not._ My doubts and fears began to crawl up my stomach.

Gaara turned to me for the first time since his foot touched the sandy ground. "If I come back and my wife is hurt, you will never see the light of day again." Now I was really having doubts about Sarafu's plan.

"Gaara, now don't be mean," Sarafu chided mockingly. "Misa would never let anything happen to me, even if you didn't threaten her."

He hung his head like a puppy dog, before gazing longingly into his wife's eyes. "I'm not going to say goodbye, for I will return to you."

"Of course you will," Sarafu smiled, and continued to smile as Gaara floated away on his cloud of sand.

As soon as she was positive he had left, she turned to me with a glint in her eyes I had come to fear. "Let's pack up our stuff and go!"

* * *

The trip to Konoha was slow, mainly because of Sarafu's condition, but also because we didn't want to stick too close to the Suna team that had been sent out to aid Konoha in their distress call.

I voiced my doubts on Sarafu being able to handle the trip, but she would smack me across the head and tell me it's too late.

Moregayo took us to Konoha in less than a day, well what little of it was left. There was a giant crater in the middle of the large city, and all of the buildings were in shambles. Ninja battles were sprawled out everywhere.

We landed atop an apartment building that was still standing, looking out at the barren wasteland. It was like Armageddon.

"Sarafu, we should really leave," I told her in a quaky voice. "We'll be killed."

"Nonsense," Sarafu chuckled, but Life just loved to laugh at her, because at that exact moment a kunai nearly pierced her head.

"Sarafu! Move!" I yelled, running in front of her to deflect the next barrage of kunai.

I took out my faithful chakram, Luna, and hurled them at the foe, quickly cutting them down. I smirked in victory, which was quickly wiped off when I heard an anguished scream behind me.

I turned to see Sarafu kneeling on the ground, covered in blood. A few dead shinobi lay around her. I ran to her side, sending to my healing chakra to her without hesitation, laying her on the ground so that she could rest.

Sarafu's frame shook in harsh coughs. Oh no! She had expended too much chakra fighting and now her developing baby was sucking away the last of her precious life force. With a grunt, I pushed even more of my chakra into her. She couldn't die! She couldn't die! Not here! Not now!

Golden, serpentine eyes gazed at me, and my fear increased. There was not a sign of fear or uncertainty in Sarafu's eyes. She knew she was going to die today, in this forsaken place.

"Save my…baby," she rasped, before breaking out into a coughing fit. "It's the…only thing…I can give…to Gaara…as a…" She coughed again, blood dribbling down her chin.

"Stop talking, dumbass!" I screamed. I was crying.

"I'm…sorry…" she smiled. Her eyes were slowly closing.

"No! No! No! Don't die, stupid! You can't die! You can't leave me!" I shouted frantically, pouring my chakra into her with reckless abandon. There was an earthquake, the ground was shaking so much. Wait, no, it was just me.

My vision was starting to blur, most likely from the tears, and I was feeling so _exhausted, _but I never stopped pooling my chakra into Sarafu's belly. Her wounds had closed up, and she was healed by now, but her chakra was withering at an alarming rate. I gave one last push, before callous hands pulled my arms back.

"Stop it, Misa!" a familiar voice shouted at me from behind.

"No! Let me go!" I cried, frantically trying to go to the pale body lying on the rubble. "I have to save her! She's dying!"

"No! I won't let you throw your life away!" I was forcefully picked up and slung over a broad shoulder. I didn't look at my captor. My eyes couldn't tear themselves away from the dying girl lying on the ground.

"Let me go! Let me go! I have to save her! SARAFU!" I shouted with my last breath before I passed out.

* * *

_13 years later._

I blinked away tears. Even after all this time, the memory of Sarafu's death still hurt. I turned to regard the small, girl, with light purple hair who stared at me with golden, serpentine eyes. "By some miracle, Gaara heard my scream and rescued you. The best doctors in all of Suna were watching you around the clock. You had to be removed from your mother's dead corpse and put into an incubator. You were lucky to even survive."

I sighed, and a sad smile spread across my face at the memories. "Of course, Tobi had taken me away, so I had no idea. I thought both you and your mother had died and that it was all my fault. Tobi locked me away for about a month before I finally escaped.

"I went to Suna, hoping that Gaara would kill me for my crime. When he saw me, he just about nearly did." I chuckled. "If it wasn't for Temari and Kankurou, I'd be a bloody mass right now. He crushed my lungs, broke all of my arms and legs, and removed my eye. I owe the Godaime Hokage for practically bringing me back to life. Though, my lungs are very weak now, so I get winded with extensive exercise, so I can't be a ninja anymore. And of course, my eye." I pointed to my left eye, which was only a fake glass eye that never moved from staring forward.

Sarafu's daughter looked up at me with sympathy.

I continued on telling my story. "I wasn't grateful to Tsunade a first though. When I woke up, I actually cursed her out for saving me. I had wanted retribution, to die at the hands of the man I hurt the most. I had wanted to die so much, until I saw you.

"You were such a cute little baby, and you have your mother's eyes. That's when I decided that I would make it up to Sarafu by protecting the thing she gave her life for. So that's how I came to be your nanny. Although your father loathed it at first, Temari and Kankurou eventually convinced him to let me raise you."

"What happened with Tobi, or should I call him Madara?" the girl asked quietly, taking in all of the information silently. "Didn't he look for you?"

"Of course he did. But I struck up a deal with him so that I could watch over you until I saw that you had become a fine ninja. I'm going to complete my side of the deal tonight."

There was a moment of companionable silence before the teenager spoke. "Why are you telling me all of these things, Aunt Misa?"

"I know how much you hated your mother for leaving you and your father. Her loss drove the Kazekage into a state of despair, in which he immersed himself in work and left you alone. But I just want you to understand, that if your mother could have lived, she would have chosen that option. I don't know if she knew that she was supposed to die in that place, but I have a hunch. Sarafu was too young to be a mother. Her body probably wouldn't have been able to survive giving birth to you anyway. She most likely knew this, and just wanted to go out in the battle field. Although her selfishness got me in trouble." I chuckled lightly at this.

"But your father might understand what you're going through more than me," I smiled at the girl's look of surprise. "His mother died giving birth to him, and because of that, his whole family hated him. His father even tried to have him assassinated. I'm sure he hated his mother for dying on him, like you."

The young girl turned her eyes to stare contemplatively at the sandy ground. "Are you going to leave, Aunt Misa?"

I couldn't help but smile proudly. "Smart girl. Yes. I'm going to live forever with Madara. He may still be a criminal, but I love him, for some odd reason." I stood up, regarding the rising moon.

"Don't leave, Aunt Misa!" my conversation partner stood up as well. "I'm not nearly a strong enough ninja. You have to train me more!"

"You don't need my guidance anymore," I smiled down at her. "I have nothing left to teach you. Now, you only need experience. I'm sure that young Rock Lee jr. can train with you though. He seems like a nice, young man."

The girl blushed at this. "A taijutsu loser like him," she mumbled, but I wasn't fooled.

"You will be come an excellent ninja and surpass both your mother and father." I turned and looked up at the night sky. My escort was here. "Live without regrets, Hinako." And then I left Suna forever.

* * *

_The End_

* * *

**A/N: **Yay, it's over. Just for any of you who are wandering. Sarafu and Gaara had decided on the name for the baby before she died. Ryu if a boy, Hinako if a girl.

In the middle of this story, I was thinking of writing a sequel to this, sort of. Of Sarafu's daughter's life, but I'm showing bad signs at updating, so I'm not going to. I need to know when to end things.


End file.
